Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 135,566 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank bought 135,566 shares of Mastercard, increasing its stake 27.2% to 634,437 shares (about 0.07% of Mastercard) valued at roughly $362.2 million and making the stock 0.8% of the bank's portfolio (its 17th-largest holding).
• Mastercard beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $4.76 vs. $4.24 and revenue of $8.81 billion (+17.5% YoY), and the company shows strong profitability (net margin 45.65%, ROE 203.92%) with a market cap of $465.1 billion and a P/E of 31.57.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 (annualized $3.48, yield 0.7%; ex-dividend April 9, payable May 8), while analysts hold an average "Buy" rating and an average price target of $662.00.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 27.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 634,437 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 135,566 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 0.8% of Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.07% of Mastercard worth $362,187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 79,431,340 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $45,181,341,000 after purchasing an additional 955,533 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Mastercard by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,580,374 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $20,807,283,000 after purchasing an additional 997,536 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Mastercard by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,347,834 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,885,944,000 after purchasing an additional 629,941 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,806,887 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,303,015,000 after buying an additional 235,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,658,547 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,218,638,000 after buying an additional 339,137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:MA opened at $521.56 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $480.50 and a 12-month high of $601.77. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $509.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $539.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $465.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.83.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.52. Mastercard had a return on equity of 203.92% and a net margin of 45.65%.The firm had revenue of $8.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Mastercard from $735.00 to $675.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Daiwa Securities Group set a $610.00 price target on Mastercard and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $600.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Compass Point raised Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $620.00 to $735.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $678.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $662.00.

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.

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