Cooper Financial Group Boosts Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Cooper Financial Group increased its stake in Mastercard by 21.2%, now owning 4,525 shares valued at approximately $2.48 million.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $4.15, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a revenue increase of 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year.
• Shares of Mastercard have a market cap of $523.70 billion and a current P/E ratio of 38.73, with analyst ratings indicating a consensus of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $615.33.

Cooper Financial Group raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 21.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,525 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 792 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group's holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,480,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Accredited Investors Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 632 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $347,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 986 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.1%

Mastercard stock traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $573.88. The stock had a trading volume of 2,593,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,583,637. 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 Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $454.89 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $563.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $553.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.80 billion, a PE ratio of 38.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. Mastercard's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,833,004.23. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,453 shares of company stock worth $20,178,667 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MA. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $615.33.

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.