MQS Management LLC Makes New Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,073 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $588,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $445,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 736 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 911 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 1.8% in the first quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Alta Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 3.6% during the first quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider owned 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, 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 sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Stock Down 2.4%

NYSE MA traded down $13.48 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $550.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,221,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,666,716. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The company has a market capitalization of $501.48 billion, a PE ratio of 38.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $568.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $547.76.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.31 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on MA. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $640.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $611.50.

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.