Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Brevan Howard Capital Management LP

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 116.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,354 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 14,735 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP's holdings in Mastercard were worth $14,404,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $7.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $566.11. 2,493,698 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,608,299. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $532.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $532.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $516.12 billion, a PE ratio of 40.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.31 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $635.00 price objective (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.