Centre Asset Management LLC Has $3.89 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Centre Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,884 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 331 shares during the quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Archer Investment Corp grew its stake in Mastercard by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 3,409 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,209,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $504,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 5,220 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,897,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. MGO Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. MGO Private Wealth LLC now owns 867 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 831 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. 74.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Hai Ling sold 3,324 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.00, for a total transaction of $1,379,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,294,455. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 10,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $394.38, for a total value of $4,274,290.44. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,166,426.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Hai Ling sold 3,324 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.00, for a total transaction of $1,379,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,577 shares in the company, valued at $7,294,455. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 407,267 shares of company stock worth $161,485,243. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $413.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $389.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.74, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $401.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $380.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $276.87 and a fifty-two week high of $418.60.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.05. Mastercard had a net margin of 43.37% and a return on equity of 178.10%. The company had revenue of $6.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.56 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $440.00 to $455.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $425.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $440.00 to $443.00 in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $435.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Friday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $440.96.

Mastercard Company Profile

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services.