UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Acquires 143,735 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• UBS AM increased its stake in Mastercard by 2.0% in Q1, owning 7,177,306 shares worth approximately $3.93 billion, making it the fund's 12th largest position.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Wellington Management, have also increased their holdings in Mastercard during the same period.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly EPS of $4.15, exceeding analyst expectations by $0.10, with a revenue of $8.13 billion, marking a 16.8% increase compared to the previous year.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,177,306 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 143,735 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.0% of UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned about 0.79% of Mastercard worth $3,934,025,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 19.5% in the 1st quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,174 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,683,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. Fortis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 9.4% in the first quarter. Fortis Advisors LLC now owns 871 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida lifted its stake in Mastercard by 36.4% in the first quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 693 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 18.0% in the first quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,870 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,766,000 after buying an additional 1,047 shares during the period. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.8% during the first quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 22,640 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $12,409,000 after buying an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $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 50,053 shares of company stock valued at $27,071,234. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $9.74 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $589.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,406,818 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,766,331. The stock has a market capitalization of $532.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.72, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $465.59 and a fifty-two week high of $601.77. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $573.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $558.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $626.54.

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.