National Bank of Canada FI Grows Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Mastercard by 55.2%, acquiring 325,802 shares and owning a total of 915,668 shares valued at approximately $501.83 million.
• Mastercard's stock price recently dropped by 1.4%, with a current market cap of $511.79 billion and a 52-week high of $594.71.
• The company reported earnings of $4.15 EPS for the last quarter, beating analysts' estimates by $0.10 and showing a revenue increase of 16.8% year-over-year.

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 55.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 915,668 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 325,802 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.10% of Mastercard worth $501,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MA. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, 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 value of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total value of $3,328,555.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders sold 38,453 shares of company stock worth $20,178,667 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $2.45 on Tuesday, hitting $571.14. The company had a trading volume of 988,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,814,986. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $563.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $553.84. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $454.89 and a 1-year high of $594.71. The stock has a market cap of $516.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $615.33.

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.