Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is XXEC Inc.’s Largest Position

XXEC Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,140 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 573 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 10.2% of XXEC Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. XXEC Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA traded down $5.91 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $451.19. The company had a trading volume of 2,696,679 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,410,313. The stock has a market capitalization of $420.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.14, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $471.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $437.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $357.85 and a 52-week high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.65 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Mastercard from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $545.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Mastercard from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.23.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 97,543,308 shares in the company, valued at $47,527,976,823. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,672,828.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 480,630 shares of company stock worth $221,479,470 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.