Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 187,055 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,329 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 0.9% of Czech National Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $102,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,640,219,000 after acquiring an additional 377,302 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,725,627,000 after acquiring an additional 912,856 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,800,202,000 after acquiring an additional 282,739 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Mastercard by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,139,713,000 after acquiring an additional 817,836 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.0%

Mastercard stock opened at $583.27 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $543.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $539.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $531.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $588.45.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Mastercard’s revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.31 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total transaction of $87,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,887,900. This trade represents a 4.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Macquarie cut their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $608.57.

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.