Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Bought by Centaurus Financial Inc.

Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 14.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,076 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,114 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $12,365,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 820.0% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 113.8% during the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total transaction of $2,440,926.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 31,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,781,695.49. This trade represents a 12.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,372 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.00, for a total transaction of $8,838,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,693 shares in the company, valued at $53,873,475. The trade was a 14.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 71,357 shares of company stock valued at $40,637,262 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE:MA opened at $591.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.53, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.72. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $464.52 and a 1-year high of $601.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $547.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $519.09.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%.The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.15 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 19.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $632.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $664.71.

More Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard has restarted international card-payment services in Syria for the first time in roughly 15 years after regulatory changes, potentially reopening transaction-volume opportunities in the country. Visa is also entering the market, limiting Mastercard’s ability to capture the opportunity exclusively. Visa, Mastercard begin first Syria global card payments in years
• Positive Sentiment: A new partnership with Asia-Pacific travel-experiences platform Klook aims to provide Mastercard cardholders with travel benefits and create additional spending touchpoints as experience-led tourism expands across the region. The initiative could support cross-border payments and customer engagement, although financial terms were not disclosed. Klook and Mastercard collaborate to enhance travelers’ experiences across Asia Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard said CFO Ling Hai will speak at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 10. The presentation may offer updates on growth, travel spending and digital payments, but it does not change current financial guidance. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s name appears as a supporter of a Ripple XRPL hackathon, highlighting continued interest in blockchain development. However, the event is not evidence of a major XRP or XRPL commercial rollout by Mastercard. Mastercard’s Name Is on the Ripple Hackathon, But Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary argues that Mastercard’s strong earnings profile and roughly 61% net margin are already reflected in the stock’s elevated valuation. The shares’ retreat after nearing their high may therefore reflect profit-taking and concern that further gains require continued strong execution. Mastercard’s Record Stalls With 61% Margin Already Priced In

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.