AXS Investments LLC Has $5.38 Million Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• AXS Investments LLC reduced its holdings in Mastercard by 13.1%, now owning approximately $5.37 million worth of shares, marking it as the firm’s 12th largest investment.
• Mastercard's recent quarterly earnings showed an EPS of $4.15, surpassing estimates and indicating a 16.8% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, with the payment date set for August 8th, reflecting a 0.5% yield and a payout ratio of 20.50%.

AXS Investments LLC trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 13.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,807 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,473 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.5% of AXS Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. AXS Investments LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,375,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 7,452 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. Trustco Bank Corp N Y acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $211,000. Finally, Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $201,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at $14,630,844.40. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,603 shares of company stock valued at $20,265,667 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on MA. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $615.33.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $13.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $574.42. 2,907,568 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,618,541. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company's 50 day moving average is $563.90 and its 200 day moving average is $553.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $523.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $453.46 and a one year high of $594.71.

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 the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.50 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

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.