2,264 Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 381,098 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,264 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 0.9% of Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $210,932,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Chapman Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 199.8% in the third quarter. Chapman Investment Management LLC now owns 19,952 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,003,000 after purchasing an additional 39,937 shares during the last quarter. Henderson Brothers Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Henderson Brothers Financial Partners LLC now owns 773 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC now owns 719 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 105,107 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,963,000 after purchasing an additional 8,808 shares during the period. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $603,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MA. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $668.00 to $731.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $665.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Wolfe Research raised their target price on Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Mastercard from $696.00 to $742.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Two investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $704.62.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Sachin Mehra sold 3,266 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $584.00, for a total transaction of $1,907,344.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 36,650 shares in the company, valued at $21,403,600. This trade represents a 8.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 370 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.21, for a total value of $218,377.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,861,559.77. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 25,403 shares of company stock valued at $15,428,736 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results beat expectations: revenue rose 14% year over year to $9.81 billion and adjusted EPS increased 21.2%. Services revenue grew 19%, although higher incentives were flagged as a concern. Mastercard’s 19% Services Growth Steals the Q3 Show: Buy or Hold MA?
• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $735 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling potential upside in its view. Truist Financial rating information
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker downgraded MA from Buy to Hold, despite lifting its target to $725. The mixed call may temper enthusiasm after the stock’s recent rally. Freedom Broker rating information
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is a key risk: coverage notes the recent rally has outpaced changes in earnings estimates, leaving less room for disappointment. Rising incentives could also weigh on margins. Mastercard Stock Rose 22% in a Month. Here’s What Its Price Now Assumes
• Negative Sentiment: Visa and Mastercard face additional collective claims in the UK over card fees, adding potential legal and financial uncertainty. Visa and Mastercard face additional £5bn collective claims over card fees
• Neutral Sentiment: The CFO sold about $2.77 million of MA shares. The sale may attract attention, but the report provides no context on its purpose. Mastercard CFO stock sale

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $653.45 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $572.43 billion, a PE ratio of 34.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $593.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $539.12. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $464.52 and a 1 year high of $681.99.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The credit services provider reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.73% and a return on equity of 260.86%. The company had revenue of $9.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 20.00 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Mastercard Profile

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.