Blueshift Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 759 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Blueshift Asset Management LLC has acquired a new stake in Mastercard, purchasing 759 shares valued at approximately $416,000 in the first quarter.
• Mastercard reported earnings of $4.15 per share, exceeding expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76, reflecting an annual yield of about 0.5%.
• Analysts have generally given Mastercard positive ratings, with the majority suggesting it is a "buy" or "overweight" stock, and setting price targets in a range up to $655.00.

Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 759 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $416,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accredited Investors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 632 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.8% during the first quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 986 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $3.14 on Wednesday, hitting $569.18. The stock had a trading volume of 2,234,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,830,677. The stock has a market cap of $518.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.38, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $564.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $552.56. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $449.04 and a one year high of $594.71.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on MA. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $615.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,229,440. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. This trade represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.09% 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.