Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is MUFG Securities EMEA plc's 10th Largest Position

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc significantly increased its stake in Mastercard by 257.9%, owning 67,999 shares valued at approximately $37 million, positioning Mastercard as its 10th largest holding.
• Mastercard reported earnings per share of $4.15 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.05, and its revenues increased by 16.8% year-over-year.
• As of now, Mastercard has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with a target price of $615.33 and has received multiple upgrades from various research firms, including a price target increase from UBS from $660 to $670.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc raised its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 257.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 67,999 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 49,000 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 0.9% of MUFG Securities EMEA plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in Mastercard were worth $37,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,594,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $37,108,000 after buying an additional 7,452 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Finally, Eley Financial Management Inc lifted its stake in Mastercard by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc now owns 5,217 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,747,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Macquarie cut their target price on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $615.33.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $0.60 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $573.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,116,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,602,851. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $453.89 and a 1-year high of $594.71. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $563.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $553.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $518.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%. The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.50%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following 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. Insiders sold a total of 38,453 shares of company stock worth $20,178,667 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.