Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Trims Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lessened its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 11,153 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 0.8% of Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $32,377,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $641,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,385 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 39.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 6,692 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,303,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. now owns 6,739 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,328,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.5 %

MA stock opened at $505.58 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $467.08 billion, a PE ratio of 38.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $384.20 and a 52 week high of $527.90. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $496.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $467.30.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly 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%. Mastercard’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.39 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.97%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total value of $50,952,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 91,924,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,970,017,774.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 109,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.45, for a total value of $50,952,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 91,924,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,970,017,774.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 327,370 shares of company stock valued at $153,495,958. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Compass Point began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on Mastercard from $566.00 to $572.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Barclays upped their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Macquarie lifted their price target on Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $540.17.

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.