KBC Group NV Lowers Stake in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

KBC Group NV lessened its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 445,783 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,865 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 0.6% of KBC Group NV’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $222,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MA. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Mastercard by 820.0% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $543.55 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $464.52 and a 52-week high of $601.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $503.99 and a 200-day moving average of $515.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $480.27 billion, a PE ratio of 31.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.26 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.73 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.62 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.14%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total transaction of $1,047,276.21. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,702,934.17. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MA. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Dbs Bank upgraded Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $597.00 price target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $561.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $653.92.

Mastercard Company Profile

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.