KBC Group NV Increases Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 105.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 411,314 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 211,563 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 0.6% of KBC Group NV’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $203,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,584,606 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,399,279,000 after purchasing an additional 330,872 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Mastercard by 0.3% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,651,904 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,574,347,000 after buying an additional 43,881 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 120,665.3% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 8,041,758 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,971,020,000 after buying an additional 8,035,099 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,082,729 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,241,297,000 after buying an additional 71,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,327,168 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,908,973,000 after acquiring an additional 113,238 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total transaction of $50,952,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,970,017,774.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total transaction of $50,952,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,970,017,774.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 327,370 shares of company stock worth $153,495,958 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $521.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $501.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $469.88. The firm has a market cap of $478.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $394.76 and a 12 month high of $534.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.39 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 19.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MA. William Blair upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Compass Point initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Four 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $542.88.

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.