Mastercard Incorporated $MA Position Increased by Kestra Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 45.6%, owning 2,441 shares worth approximately $1.26 million at the end of the last quarter.
• Mastercard reported earnings of $4.15 EPS for the latest quarter, surpassing analyst estimates and showing a 16.8% year-over-year revenue growth.
• A number of analysts have given Mastercard a Moderate Buy rating, with several raising their price targets, highlighting expected continued growth.

Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 45.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,441 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 764 shares during the quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $626.54.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:MA traded up $3.27 on Monday, hitting $587.49. 1,948,132 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,229,058. The stock has a market cap of $531.10 billion, a PE ratio of 39.62, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $573.10 and a 200-day moving average of $557.69. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $465.59 and a fifty-two week high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $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, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,263 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $591.00, for a total value of $10,202,433.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,294. This trade represents a 35.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the sale, the director owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 59,481 shares of company stock valued at $32,616,595. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard 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.