Franklin Resources Inc. Grows Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,501,814 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 304,293 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 1.1% of Franklin Resources Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.82% of Mastercard worth $3,800,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MA. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 8.4% in the second quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 6,829 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,013,000 after buying an additional 529 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 979 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $432,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Mastercard by 94.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,723 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 2,786 shares during the period. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 3.5% in the second quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 10,958 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,834,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 7,916 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,571,000 after buying an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total value of $2,294,994.10. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. The trade was a 23.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock traded down $3.41 during trading on Friday, hitting $529.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,599,602 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,454,071. The business has a fifty day moving average of $516.61 and a 200-day moving average of $480.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $411.60 and a 52 week high of $536.75. The company has a market cap of $485.53 billion, a PE ratio of 40.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.39 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 19.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $572.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $559.28.

Mastercard Company 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.