Savvy Advisors Inc. Purchases 1,214 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Key Points

• Savvy Advisors Inc. has increased its holdings in Mastercard by 20.5%, now owning a total of 7,136 shares valued at approximately $3.91 million.
• Mastercard reported an EPS of $4.15 for the latest quarter, surpassing expectations, with revenue of $8.13 billion, up 16.8% from last year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 20.5%.

Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 20.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,136 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,214 shares during the period. Savvy Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MA. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% during 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 buying an additional 365,537 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,817,684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207,787 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $4,508,636,000 after purchasing an additional 8,213,123 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 7,610,333 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,007,373,000 after purchasing an additional 71,874 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 7,033,571 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,703,667,000 after buying an additional 724,887 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $561.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $511.79 billion, a PE ratio of 37.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $451.03 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $564.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $552.92.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is presently 20.50%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at $7,064,815.17. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,603 shares of company stock valued at $20,265,667 over the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Citigroup upped 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $615.33.

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.

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