Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Key Points

• Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Mastercard by 42.1% in Q1, now owning 20,667 shares valued at approximately $11.32 million.
• Mastercard reported $3.73 EPS for the latest quarter, exceeding expectations, with revenue of $7.25 billion up 14.2% year-over-year.
• Analysts maintain a positive outlook on Mastercard, with an average price target of $612.90 and a rating of "Moderate Buy" following various recent upgrades.

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 42.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,667 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,121 shares during the quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd's holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Accredited Investors Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $394,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 632 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 986 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the sale, the director owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084 over the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $612.90.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA traded down $3.59 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $559.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,825,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,259,239. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $439.59 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $564.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $550.97. The company has a market cap of $510.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.31 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.32%.

Mastercard Company 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.