Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Close Asset Management Ltd

Close Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 153,696 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,495 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 2.4% of Close Asset Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Close Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Mastercard were worth $84,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $11,725,627,000 after purchasing an additional 912,856 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $9,800,202,000 after purchasing an additional 282,739 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,022,224,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Mastercard by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,139,713,000 after purchasing an additional 817,836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Mastercard by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,817,684,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207,787 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $4.68 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $568.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,513,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,575,199. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.02 billion, a PE ratio of 39.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $432.11 and a twelve month high of $594.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $565.61 and a 200 day moving average of $549.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The firm's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.31 earnings per share. On average, equities 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.32%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $612.90.

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.