Erste Asset Management GmbH Invests $51.96 Million in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 105,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $51,962,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.86, for a total transaction of $2,294,994.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,363,085.66. The trade was a 23.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $532.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $404.32 and a 12-month high of $535.77. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $510.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $476.31. The firm has a market cap of $489.15 billion, a PE ratio of 40.31, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.39 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 19.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Compass Point assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price on the stock. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $591.00 target price for the company. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $549.16.

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.