BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Grows Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 231,585 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,657 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $114,357,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 15,031 shares in the company, valued at $7,363,085.66. This trade represents a 23.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE MA opened at $512.54 on Thursday. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $404.32 and a one year high of $534.03. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $505.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $472.76. The firm has a market cap of $470.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.77, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $572.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $549.16.

Mastercard Profile

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.