Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Grows Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. grew its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,847 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 889 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 0.8% of Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MA. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.3% in the third quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 1,677 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $834,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Quilter Plc boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.8% in the second quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 801 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,351 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,148,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Atticus Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 1.3% in the first quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $835,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 0.3% in the first quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 6,881 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,314,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Argus upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Compass Point initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp raised their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.68.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total transaction of $55,746,740.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 92,033,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,113,923,465.68. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 119,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.46, for a total value of $55,746,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,033,308 shares in the company, valued at $43,113,923,465.68. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 340,809 shares of company stock worth $159,610,703. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $513.02 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $489.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $464.58. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $518.82. The stock has a market cap of $476.91 billion, a PE ratio of 40.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.85 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

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.