Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Holdings Lifted by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 630,349 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,210 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.07% of Mastercard worth $278,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $660,652,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Mastercard by 145.6% in the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,777,468 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $784,148,000 after buying an additional 1,053,616 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,253,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,096,470,000 after buying an additional 742,076 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,041,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,974,478,000 after acquiring an additional 676,452 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,608,023 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,803,956,000 after acquiring an additional 605,909 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $491.12 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $469.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $461.77. The company has a market cap of $453.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $359.77 and a 12 month high of $501.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

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 company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 20.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total transaction of $55,746,740.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,033,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,113,923,465.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total transaction of $55,746,740.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,033,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,113,923,465.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays raised their target price on Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. BNP Paribas lowered Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $513.70.

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.