Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is LGT Group Foundation's 5th Largest Position

Key Points

• LGT Group Foundation increased its stake in Mastercard by 38.5%, now holding 512,315 shares, making it the foundation's 5th largest position in its portfolio.
• Mastercard recently reported earnings of $4.15 per share, beating estimates, with a 16.8% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The stock has received multiple upgrades from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $615.33.

LGT Group Foundation increased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 38.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 512,315 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 142,529 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 3.9% of LGT Group Foundation's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. LGT Group Foundation owned 0.06% of Mastercard worth $280,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whalerock Point Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 14,678 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $7,729,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 9.4% during the first quarter. Fortis Advisors LLC now owns 871 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 36.4% during the first quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 693 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 18.0% during the first quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,870 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,766,000 after acquiring an additional 1,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baldwin Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC now owns 1,731 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $911,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $6.24 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $584.14. The stock had a trading volume of 2,642,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,587,297. The company's 50-day moving average price is $563.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $554.40. The company has a market capitalization of $528.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.03. 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 Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $461.90 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,833,004.23. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 38,453 shares of company stock valued at $20,178,667. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group lifted their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Macquarie decreased their price target on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $615.33.

About Mastercard

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.