Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Bought by Nwam LLC

Key Points

• Nwam LLC increased its Mastercard stake by 224.2% in the first quarter, ending with 4,980 shares valued at about $2.49 million. Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and investors holding 97.28% of the stock.
• Mastercard reported strong first-quarter results, with EPS of $4.60 beating estimates and revenue of $8.40 billion topping expectations. Revenue rose 15.8% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 19.62.
• Wall Street sentiment stays positive: Baird raised its target to $680 and Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and a $640 target. Mastercard also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, payable August 7, for an annualized yield of about 0.6%.

Nwam LLC grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 224.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,980 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,444 shares during the period. Nwam LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,488,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Mastercard by 820.0% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.5%

MA opened at $535.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $473.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.99, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.73. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $464.52 and a one year high of $601.77. The business's fifty day moving average is $502.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $516.24.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.26 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.73 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.14%.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Mastercard to $680 from $660 and kept an Outperform rating, citing expectations for revenue growth to accelerate as comparisons ease. Baird Raises PT on Mastercard (MA) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and a $640 price target, reinforcing Wall Street confidence in Mastercard’s long-term earnings power after a sector reset. Barclays Initiates Mastercard (MA) Coverage at Overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Several partnerships and network developments show Mastercard’s payment rails remain widely used, including RAKBANK strengthening its relationship with Mastercard and Kraken rolling out a Mastercard crypto debit card in the UK and Europe. RAKBANK and Mastercard strengthen strategic relationship to drive payments innovation Kraken rolls out Mastercard crypto debit card in UK and Europe
• Neutral Sentiment: The House passed a bill that would restrict how payment networks classify firearms retailers, which could create compliance changes for Mastercard but is not yet final law. Congress Vote: The House has passed H.R. 1181 - Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard-related commentary also pointed to ongoing value in the business model, with one analysis saying “the moat remains intact,” while another article noted Mastercard stock looks richer after recent gains and faces pressure from regulation and new competition. The Moat Remains Intact Mastercard (MA) Stock Looks Overvalued On Regulatory Pressure And New Competition

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Raymond James Financial set a $609.00 price target on Mastercard in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $605.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $640.00 price target on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $653.78.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 4,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.00, for a total transaction of $2,534,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,429 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,625,225. This trade represents a 22.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 3,322 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,793,880. This represents a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.

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