Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Buys 2,926 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its stake in Mastercard by 3.9% during the second quarter, now holding a total of 78,213 shares worth approximately $43.95 million.
• Mastercard reported $4.15 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates and demonstrating a 16.8% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, with a 0.5% yield and a payout ratio of 20.5%.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,213 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,926 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.0% of Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in Mastercard were worth $43,951,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $567.88 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $580.83 and a 200 day moving average of $563.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $465.59 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The company has a market cap of $513.37 billion, a PE ratio of 38.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The business had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MA shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $645.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, August 11th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $634.04.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,263 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $591.00, for a total value of $10,202,433.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 31,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,294. This represents a 35.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions.

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