Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by Sycomore Asset Management

Sycomore Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 45.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,127 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,268 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.7% of Sycomore Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Sycomore Asset Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,362,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Mastercard by 46.4% during the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,785 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,120,000 after buying an additional 4,685 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 13.7% in the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,394 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,079,000 after buying an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 4,982 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,399,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $757,000. Finally, Nwam LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 20.1% during the 1st quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded down $1.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $520.26. 786,709 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,444,537. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The business’s 50-day moving average is $502.32 and its 200-day moving average is $470.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $477.51 billion, a PE ratio of 39.40, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.39 EPS. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $8,440,885.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,118 shares in the company, valued at $8,440,885.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,970,017,774.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 327,370 shares of company stock worth $153,495,958. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Macquarie raised their price target on Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. BNP Paribas cut Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. William Blair upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $547.40.

About Mastercard

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.