Talbot Financial LLC Increases Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Talbot Financial LLC increased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,376 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the quarter. Talbot Financial LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $7,405,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,253,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,096,470,000 after acquiring an additional 742,076 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,041,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,974,478,000 after purchasing an additional 676,452 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,608,023 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,803,956,000 after purchasing an additional 605,909 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $4,595,559,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,510,259 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,181,964,000 after purchasing an additional 306,663 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA traded down $3.55 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $437.61. 3,149,173 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,466,282. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $359.77 and a 1-year high of $490.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $406.81 billion, a PE ratio of 34.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $451.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $453.31.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $549.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $496.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 151,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.55, for a total value of $68,335,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 95,930,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,413,260,885.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 151,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.55, for a total value of $68,335,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,930,308 shares in the company, valued at $43,413,260,885.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.00, for a total transaction of $136,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,463 shares in the company, valued at $1,572,202. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,163,228 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,540,870 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.