BTC Capital Management Inc. Raises Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

BTC Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 24,327 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.0% of BTC Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. BTC Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Delta Asset Management LLC TN purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 74.94% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 10,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 20,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,166,426.66. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Hai Ling sold 3,324 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 30th. The stock was 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 10,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $394.38, for a total transaction of $4,274,290.44. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,166,426.66. 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. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $442.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $435.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, August 29th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $486.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $440.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 31st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on Mastercard from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $442.83.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $0.87 during trading on Monday, reaching $415.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 182,763 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,673,890. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $276.87 and a fifty-two week high of $418.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. The firm has a market cap of $391.19 billion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $401.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $381.97.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th were given 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 payout ratio is currently 21.37%.

About Mastercard

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.