Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Boosts Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 58.4%, owning 7,130 shares valued at approximately $3.91 million following additional purchases in the 1st quarter.
• Mastercard reported earnings of $4.15 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $4.05, with revenues also exceeding estimates at $8.13 billion.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, yielding 0.5%, with a payout ratio of 20.50% indicating a strong commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 58.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,130 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,630 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,908,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accredited Investors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 632 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 1.8% during the first quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC raised 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 worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 2.0% during the first quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 986 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,453 shares of company stock worth $20,178,667. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.8%

MA stock traded up $4.6850 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $590.1950. 1,409,353 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,799,250. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $533.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.80, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $563.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $555.02. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $461.90 and a 12-month high of $594.71.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $650.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $617.93.

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.