Vanguard Group Inc. Grows Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 75,253,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 742,076 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.7% of Vanguard Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Mastercard worth $32,096,470,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective on the stock. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $497.78.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 116,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $443.63, for a total value of $51,461,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,998,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,256,839,378.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 116,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $443.63, for a total value of $51,461,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 92,998,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,256,839,378.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 3,464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.84, for a total transaction of $1,551,317.76. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 13,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,151,530.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,667,400 shares of company stock worth $1,204,048,040 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.8 %

Mastercard stock opened at $448.11 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $453.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $450.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The firm has a market cap of $416.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.09. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.22 earnings per share for the current year.

About Mastercard

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.