GCQ FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY Ltd Purchases New Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

GCQ FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 70,941 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $37,355,000. Mastercard makes up about 13.1% of GCQ FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Addison Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,651,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $946,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 price objective (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price objective (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of MA traded down $1.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $535.14. 5,973,324 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,376,248. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $547.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $524.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The company has a market cap of $487.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.