Carmignac Gestion Buys 352,128 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Carmignac Gestion raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 92.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 732,598 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 352,128 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 4.8% of Carmignac Gestion’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Carmignac Gestion’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $376,234,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Mastercard by 820.0% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $8.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $570.35. The company had a trading volume of 2,705,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,620,135. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $561.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $522.20. The company has a market capitalization of $499.63 billion, a PE ratio of 31.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.74. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $464.52 and a one year high of $601.62.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 19.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total value of $1,047,276.21. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,702,934.17. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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 stock was sold at an average price of $575.00, for a total value of $8,838,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,693 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,873,475. This trade represents a 14.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 74,623 shares of company stock worth $42,544,606 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $632.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $695.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $701.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $666.64.

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) is a global technology company that operates a payments network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses. The company facilitates electronic payment transactions, including credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, by providing the infrastructure used to authorize, clear and settle transactions.

Mastercard’s products and services include its Mastercard-branded payment cards, digital payment tools, contactless payment technology and payment solutions for businesses and governments.