AlphaQuest LLC Grows Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC dramatically increased its stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter, boosting holdings by 19,990.9% to 2,210 shares valued at about $1.26 million.
• Mastercard shares were down 0.3% in Friday trading, opening at $493.76, while the stock remains near its 52-week low of $480.50 and well below its high of $601.77.
• The company recently posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.60 versus estimates of $4.41 and revenue of $8.40 billion, and analysts currently maintain an overall Buy rating with an average target price of $656.04.

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 19,990.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,210 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,199 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 820.0% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Tacita Capital Inc boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Birchbrook Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of MA opened at $493.76 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $480.50 and a twelve month high of $601.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $501.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $527.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $436.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.76.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The business had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.73 EPS. The business's revenue was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.6 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard received a New York BitLicense, strengthening its ability to pursue regulated digital asset, stablecoin, and blockchain payment initiatives. Mastercard Granted New York State Department of Financial Services BitLicense
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and commentary pieces highlighted Mastercard as a potential beneficiary of inflation and currency debasement trends, pointing to its high-margin payments model and durable global network. Mastercard: The Perfect Hedge Against Currency Debasement And Inflation
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s upcoming conference appearances keep management visible to investors, but these events are unlikely to move the stock on their own. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also presented at Bernstein’s Strategic Decisions Conference, which may offer strategic updates but does not appear to include a major new catalyst. Mastercard Incorporated (MA) Presents at Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference Transcript

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MA. Macquarie Infrastructure increased their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Mastercard from $685.00 to $655.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $739.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $656.04.

Mastercard Profile

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.

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