IFM Investors Pty Ltd Buys 14,207 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 9.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 172,046 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 14,207 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 0.9% of IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Mastercard were worth $94,302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,594,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $37,108,000 after acquiring an additional 7,452 shares in the last quarter. Souders Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $426,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 51.6% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,954 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,555,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $3.83 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $565.41. 2,478,283 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,669,836. The company has a market cap of $515.49 billion, a PE ratio of 39.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $594.71. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $566.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $546.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.31 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total value of $173,910.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,669,203. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,441 shares of company stock valued at $20,173,035. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group upped their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price objective for the company. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $611.50.

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.