Grafton Street Partners Fund LP Has $5.12 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Grafton Street Partners Fund LP reduced its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated by 16.2% during the first quarter, now owning 9,345 shares valued at approximately $5.12 million.
• Multiple analysts have raised their target prices for Mastercard, with UBS Group increasing its target from $660 to $670, maintaining a "buy" rating.
• Mastercard reported a Q2 earnings per share of $4.15, exceeding expectations, along with a revenue increase of 16.8% year-over-year.

Grafton Street Partners Fund LP decreased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 16.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,345 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,807 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 3.9% of Grafton Street Partners Fund LP's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Grafton Street Partners Fund LP's holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,122,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,594,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its position in Mastercard by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $37,108,000 after buying an additional 7,452 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $211,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,192,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 56,269 shares of company stock worth $30,634,699 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of MA stock traded down $3.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $592.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,605,551 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,786,430. The stock has a market capitalization of $535.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $465.59 and a one year high of $601.77. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $569.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $556.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarter last year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group boosted 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $617.93.

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.