Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 51.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,765,714 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,965,782 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 1.3% of Bank of Montreal Can’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,846,187,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MA. Diversified LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 8.4% during the third quarter. Diversified LLC now owns 773 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 866,586 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $427,920,000 after acquiring an additional 74,161 shares during the last quarter. Boston Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 18.5% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Family Office LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $790,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.0% during the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 4,756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Davis R M Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 0.8% during the third quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,238 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,599,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $3.98 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $524.84. 349,580 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,449,782. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $404.32 and a fifty-two week high of $534.03. The stock has a market cap of $481.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.10. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $506.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $473.83.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.39 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were paid 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 0.50%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Compass Point assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $572.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $549.16.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total transaction of $2,294,994.10. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at $7,363,085.66. This trade represents a 23.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.