Artemis Investment Management LLP Raises Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 356.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,166 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 36,837 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP's holdings in Mastercard were worth $25,853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 34.9% during the first quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,628 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $858,000 after acquiring an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 18.5% during the first quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,190 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,941,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 12.8% during the first quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 468 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tanager Wealth Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter valued at about $278,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $546.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $594.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $498.44 billion, a PE ratio of 38.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.05. The business's 50 day moving average price is $562.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $545.20.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.31 earnings per share. Mastercard's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MA. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $640.00 price target on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $611.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total transaction of $173,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,669,203. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,024,394.75. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,383 shares of company stock valued at $19,035,108. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Mastercard Company 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.

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