Plancorp LLC Grows Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Plancorp LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 103.6% during Q1, owning a total of 5,467 shares valued at $2,996,000.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly earnings of $4.15 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $8.13 billion, a 16.8% increase year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76, representing an annual yield of 0.5%, with a dividend payout ratio of 20.50%.

Plancorp LLC increased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 103.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,467 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,782 shares during the quarter. Plancorp LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Mastercard by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,544,675 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $42,503,787,000 after purchasing an additional 365,537 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Mastercard by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,096,979 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $11,015,557,000 after purchasing an additional 907,184 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Mastercard by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,526,118 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $7,413,936,000 after purchasing an additional 3,765,378 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 65,631.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,508,636,000 after purchasing an additional 8,213,123 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,238,764,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $3.27 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $587.49. 1,948,132 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,229,058. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $531.10 billion, a PE ratio of 39.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 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 company's 50 day moving average is $573.10 and its 200 day moving average is $557.69.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.Mastercard's revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th were given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $20,636,125.55. This trade represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $536,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 59,481 shares of company stock valued at $32,616,595 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $656.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $626.54.

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.