Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Boosts Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,774 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,188 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.0% of Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $37,935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MA. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 484 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 864 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,996 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 1,037 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $442,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 598 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total value of $50,443,020.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,996,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,887,951,416.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.78, for a total transaction of $50,443,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,996,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,887,951,416.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Hai Ling sold 2,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.00, for a total value of $1,330,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,853,200. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,774,200 shares of company stock valued at $1,251,670,450 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.5 %

Mastercard stock traded up $2.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $454.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,062,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,114,539. The stock has a market capitalization of $422.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $452.30 and its 200 day moving average is $451.57. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $359.77 and a 1-year high of $490.00.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. 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. Piper Sandler began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Monday, May 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $531.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $497.78.

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.