Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Position Raised by Montaka Global Pty Ltd

Montaka Global Pty Ltd grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 20,759 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 4.6% of Montaka Global Pty Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Montaka Global Pty Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,448,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its stake in Mastercard by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 28,205 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $14,093,000 after purchasing an additional 1,434 shares in the last quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 141,828 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $72,843,000 after purchasing an additional 3,006 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,656,528 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $850,004,000 after purchasing an additional 82,793 shares in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 50.1% during the 1st quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 14,003 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,996,000 after purchasing an additional 4,675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 6.2% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 81,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $44,885,000 after purchasing an additional 4,751 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Sachin Mehra sold 7,444 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.13, for a total value of $4,296,155.72. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 40,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,613,851.08. This trade represents a 15.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ling Hai sold 4,318 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $642.43, for a total transaction of $2,774,012.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,750 shares in the company, valued at $22,966,872.50. This trade represents a 10.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,403 shares of company stock valued at $15,428,736. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of MA opened at $658.91 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $464.52 and a 52-week high of $681.99. The firm has a market cap of $574.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.46, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.78. The business’s fifty day moving average is $595.74 and its 200-day moving average is $540.39.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The credit services provider reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $9.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.66 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 260.86% and a net margin of 46.73%. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.38 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 20.00 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 18.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Susquehanna increased their price target on Mastercard from $665.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $701.00 price objective (up from $674.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $632.00 price objective (up from $609.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $580.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $709.45.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its Mastercard price target from $675 to $800 and maintained a “buy” rating. The new target implies about 21.4% upside from the cited $658.91 price, signaling increased analyst optimism. TickerReport article
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard will be the card-network partner for Sage’s planned small-business accounts and debit cards, initially being implemented in France with Adyen. The arrangement could broaden Mastercard’s reach among small businesses. Sage partnership article
• Positive Sentiment: Other partnerships include a BMO business credit card in Canada and a Citizens treasury-management service using Mastercard technology, expanding its commercial-card and corporate-services footprint. Business banking partnerships article
• Positive Sentiment: Investor activity has also been supportive: one report said Pershing Square added to Mastercard in the second quarter, while another reported a fund increased its stake by 1,884% in the third quarter. Pershing Square holdings article Fund holdings article
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Michael Miebach described cybersecurity as a major concern for protecting financial infrastructure. The comments highlight an ongoing industry risk, but no specific breach or new Mastercard-related impact was reported. Cybersecurity interview

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, merchants, financial institutions, businesses and governments. Its network supports electronic payments, including transactions made with Mastercard-branded credit, debit and prepaid cards, as well as digital payment methods. The company provides technology for authorizing, clearing and settling transactions. It also offers services related to cybersecurity, identity verification, data analytics, fraud prevention and payment consulting.