Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Grows Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 4.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 138,467 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,296 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.9% of Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Mastercard were worth $68,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter worth $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter worth $35,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 168.6% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded down $3.26 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $507.36. The company had a trading volume of 1,563,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,428,942. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $491.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $465.24. The stock has a market cap of $471.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.33, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $359.77 and a 12-month high of $518.82.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.85 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction of $2,310,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Mastercard news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total value of $2,310,173.50. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,440,885.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,423,320. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Barclays increased their price target on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, William Blair upgraded Mastercard to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $525.68.

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.