Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. Takes Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. has made a new investment of approximately $317,000 in Mastercard, acquiring 579 shares of the company during the first quarter.
• Mastercard reported earnings of $4.15 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' predictions and showing a 16.8% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 21.32%.

Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 579 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 65,631.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,508,636,000 after acquiring an additional 8,213,123 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Mastercard by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,817,684,000 after buying an additional 1,207,787 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $617,303,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $561,313,000. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 50,438.6% during the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 981,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $516,807,000 after purchasing an additional 979,518 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.6%

MA stock traded up $3.14 on Wednesday, reaching $569.18. 2,234,430 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,830,677. The company has a market cap of $518.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $564.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%. The business had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,064,815.17. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084 over the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. KeyCorp upped their price target on Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group increased their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $615.33.

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.