Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda. Buys 4,666 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda. increased its position in Mastercard by 35.9% to a total of $9.68 million during the first quarter, making Mastercard its 5th largest investment.
• Mastercard shares experienced a revenue increase of 16.8% year-over-year, with earnings per share reported at $4.15, exceeding expectations of $4.05.
• A number of brokerage firms have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Mastercard, with an average target price of $615.33 from analysts.

Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda. boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 35.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,665 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,666 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 6.2% of Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda.'s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position 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 valued at $4,817,684,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207,787 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 65,631.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,508,636,000 after buying an additional 8,213,123 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 7,610,333 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,007,373,000 after buying an additional 71,874 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 7,033,571 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,703,667,000 after acquiring an additional 724,887 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Mastercard by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,124,227 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,698,264,000 after acquiring an additional 167,538 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of MA stock traded down $7.78 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $561.35. 2,979,577 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,598,424. The stock has a market cap of $511.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.85, a PEG ratio of 2.34 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. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $451.03 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $564.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $552.92.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,603 shares of company stock valued at $20,265,667 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Macquarie lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.