Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Raises Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV significantly increased its stake in Mastercard by 641.9% during the first quarter, owning 3,027 shares valued at approximately $1.66 million at the end of the period.
• Mastercard reported earnings of $4.15 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $4.05 and achieving a 16.8% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Several analysts issued positive ratings and raised price targets for Mastercard, with Morgan Stanley setting a new target of $661 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 641.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,027 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,619 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV's holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 65,631.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,508,636,000 after purchasing an additional 8,213,123 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at about $4,238,764,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Mastercard by 15.2% in 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. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $561,313,000. Finally, BlueSpruce Investments LP raised its stake in Mastercard by 55,091.0% in the 4th quarter. BlueSpruce Investments LP now owns 737,352 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $388,267,000 after purchasing an additional 736,016 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $582.06 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $563.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $554.64. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $461.90 and a 52-week high of $594.71. The firm has a market cap of $526.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.25, a PEG ratio of 2.39 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 (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.50 EPS. Mastercard's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target for the company. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $645.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, August 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $617.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,630,844.40. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 38,453 shares of company stock valued at $20,178,667. Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.