Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Increases Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 7.9%, acquiring an additional 1,276 shares, bringing its total ownership to 17,442 shares worth $9,560,000.
• In the first quarter, institutional investors collectively owned 97.28% of Mastercard's stock, highlighting strong interest from large investors.
• Mastercard recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, which will be payable on August 8th, representing an annual yield of 0.53%.

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 7.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,442 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,276 shares during the quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MA. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $615.33.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA traded down $7.87 on Friday, reaching $558.60. 1,767,461 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,822,354. The company's 50-day moving average price is $564.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $551.39. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $439.59 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $509.28 billion, a PE ratio of 39.17, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's payout ratio is currently 21.32%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total value of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,636,125.55. The trade was a 13.89% decrease in their position. 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 dated Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Mastercard

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.