Violich Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Violich Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,535 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 125 shares during the quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Steph & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock opened at $516.34 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $480.00 billion, a PE ratio of 41.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $486.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $464.01. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $359.77 and a 52-week high of $518.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Compass Point assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $520.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $524.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total value of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 90,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.80, for a total transaction of $42,192,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 91,649,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,965,195,590.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 340,809 shares of company stock valued at $159,610,703 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% 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.