Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Holdings Lifted by Foster Group Inc.

Foster Group Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 901 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Foster Group Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $2.54 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $483.34. The company had a trading volume of 2,982,115 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,451,809. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $453.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $459.11. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $359.77 and a 1-year high of $490.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The company has a market capitalization of $449.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.09.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $520.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Barclays raised their price objective on Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $512.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 90,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.80, for a total transaction of $42,192,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 91,649,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,965,195,590.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,516,959 shares of company stock valued at $686,890,426. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.