AMI Asset Management Corp Trims Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• AMI Asset Management Corp trimmed its Mastercard position by 3.1% in the first quarter, selling 2,251 shares and leaving it with 71,270 shares valued at about $35.6 million.
• Several Mastercard developments were positive, including the launch of an Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, a partnership with OQC on quantum-powered fraud detection, and a collaboration with Mashreq to expand cross-border payment corridors.
• Mastercard also got early court approval for a multibillion-dollar merchant fee settlement with Visa, while analysts remain broadly bullish with an average price target of $653.81.

AMI Asset Management Corp reduced its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 71,270 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,251 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up 2.3% of AMI Asset Management Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. AMI Asset Management Corp's holdings in Mastercard were worth $35,611,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Mastercard by 150.5% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 526 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,736 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,866,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. EWA LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 6.8% in the first quarter. EWA LLC now owns 1,533 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $766,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Simmons Bank increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.6% in the first quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 7,013 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,504,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Finally, Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.2% during the first quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,678 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $838,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard launched an Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, expanding its role in protecting digital payments and strengthening its presence in a fast-growing region. Mastercard Launches Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to Help Secure the Continent's Digital Future
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard said it is working with quantum computing firm OQC to improve fraud detection, which could help address a large and growing payments fraud problem and support long-term network security. Mastercard (MA) Stock Rises as It Taps Quantum Tech to Fight $343 Billion Fraud Problem
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and Visa received preliminary court approval for a multibillion-dollar merchant fee settlement, reducing legal uncertainty around interchange-fee litigation. Mastercard (MA) Gets Early Court Approval In Merchant Fee Settlement With Visa
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard also announced a collaboration with Mashreq to expand quick-remit cross-border payment corridors, which could support transaction growth and international volume. Mashreq collaborates with Mastercard to expand quick remit cross-border payment corridors

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $510.64 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business's fifty day moving average price is $496.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $519.52. The stock has a market cap of $451.20 billion, a PE ratio of 29.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.74. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $464.52 and a one year high of $601.77.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the topic of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $600.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $605.00 target price on the stock. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $730.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $561.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $653.81.

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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