Kendall Capital Management Increases Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Kendall Capital Management lifted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 0.9% of Kendall Capital Management’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Kendall Capital Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $660,652,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 145.6% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 742,076 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its holdings 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 valued at $8,974,478,000 after purchasing an additional 676,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings 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 valued at $5,803,956,000 after purchasing an additional 605,909 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $8,440,885.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total value of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,440,885.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total value of $60,189,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,426,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,466,191,473.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 605,124 shares of company stock worth $280,045,189. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE MA opened at $494.76 on Thursday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week 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. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $464.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $460.76. The firm has a market cap of $459.94 billion, a PE ratio of 39.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MA. Argus raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. William Blair raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup lifted their price target 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. Finally, Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned 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 $512.08.

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.