Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Buys 3,302 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 179,891 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,302 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 1.0% of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $98,643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,594,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in Mastercard by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,108,000 after acquiring an additional 7,452 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 42,128 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $22,183,000 after acquiring an additional 1,653 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.5%

Mastercard stock opened at $584.38 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $563.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $554.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $461.90 and a one year high of $594.71. The stock has a market cap of $528.28 billion, a PE ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on MA shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. KeyCorp increased their price target on Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $617.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,453 shares of company stock valued at $20,178,667. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.