Quarry LP Takes $474,000 Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Quarry LP acquired 864 shares of Mastercard, valued at approximately $474,000, during the first quarter, highlighting ongoing institutional interest in the company.
• Mastercard reported $4.15 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, with a 16.8% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, representing a 0.5% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 20.50%.

Quarry LP bought a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 864 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $474,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,544,675 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $42,503,787,000 after purchasing an additional 365,537 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,096,979 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $11,015,557,000 after purchasing an additional 907,184 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,526,118 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $7,413,936,000 after purchasing an additional 3,765,378 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 65,631.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,508,636,000 after purchasing an additional 8,213,123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $4,238,764,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $1.59 on Thursday, hitting $594.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,653,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,779,682. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $465.59 and a 12 month high of $601.77. The company has a market capitalization of $537.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's 50-day moving average is $570.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $557.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The company had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 20.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of several research reports. Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. KeyCorp upped their price target on Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $626.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total value of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $20,636,125.55. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 59,481 shares of company stock valued at $32,616,595. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.