Advisors Asset Management Inc. Has $66.61 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Advisors Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 117,101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,590 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.1% of Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $66,608,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. ABC Arbitrage SA grew its stake in Mastercard by 80.9% in the 3rd quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA now owns 7,717 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,390,000 after buying an additional 3,450 shares in the last quarter. Magnolia Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Magnolia Private Wealth LLC now owns 942 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $536,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its position in Mastercard by 4.2% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 27,641 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $15,723,000 after acquiring an additional 1,124 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 2.2% in the third quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 19,277 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $10,965,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MQS Management LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 21.0% during the third quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 991 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $540.36 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $465.59 and a 52-week high of $601.77. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $555.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $563.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $485.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.83.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.80 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.65% and a return on equity of 203.92%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.82 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $665.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Daiwa Securities Group set a $610.00 price target on shares of Mastercard and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $668.00 to $671.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $678.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $669.27.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.