Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is Blue Whale Capital LLP’s 7th Largest Position

Blue Whale Capital LLP lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 127,250 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,750 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 4.9% of Blue Whale Capital LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Blue Whale Capital LLP’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $56,138,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $492.63 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $466.24 and a 200-day moving average of $461.15. The company has a market cap of $457.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $359.77 and a 1 year high of $501.80.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total transaction of $60,189,260.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,426,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,466,191,473.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total value of $60,189,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,426,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,466,191,473.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 605,124 shares of company stock valued at $280,045,189 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their price target on Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup upped their price target on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $520.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $512.08.

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.