Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Position Increased by Ithaka Group LLC

Key Points

• Ithaka Group LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 1.6% during the first quarter, holding 63,115 shares valued at approximately $34.6 million, making it the fund's third-largest position.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly profit of $4.15 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, along with a 16.8% year-over-year revenue increase to $8.13 billion.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 0.5%, with a payout ratio of 20.5%.

Ithaka Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 63,115 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,014 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 7.0% of Ithaka Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Ithaka Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $34,595,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the 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 owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,833,004.23. This trade represents 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 Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% 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 quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MA. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Citigroup upped their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on Mastercard in a research report 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $615.33.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE:MA traded down $7.78 on Thursday, hitting $561.35. The stock had a trading volume of 2,979,577 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,598,424. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $564.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $552.92. 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 1-year low of $451.03 and a 1-year high of $594.71.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 payout ratio is 20.50%.

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.