Stokes Capital Advisors LLC Raises Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,043 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,199 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 1.7% of Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $6,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MA. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,595,559,000. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter worth $660,652,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Mastercard by 145.6% during the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,777,468 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $784,148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053,616 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,253,734 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,096,470,000 after purchasing an additional 742,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,041,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,974,478,000 after purchasing an additional 676,452 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MA. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $531.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. William Blair upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their target price on Mastercard from $530.00 to $536.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Argus raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $508.91.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.28, for a total value of $4,038,043.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,362,683.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,028 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.28, for a total value of $4,038,043.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,940 shares in the company, valued at $26,362,683.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total value of $62,540,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,627,175 shares of company stock worth $730,399,436. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of MA traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $468.88. The company had a trading volume of 1,922,047 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,490,054. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $448.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $458.23. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $359.77 and a one 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 $435.88 billion, a PE ratio of 37.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.09.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Mastercard 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.