4,100 Shares in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Acquired by Virtu Financial LLC

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC has acquired a new stake in Mastercard, purchasing 4,100 shares valued at approximately $2,247,000 in the first quarter of the year.
• Mastercard's current stock consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $615.33, following upgrades and adjustments by various brokerages.
• Mastercard announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, contributing to an annualized dividend yield of 0.5%, with a payout ratio of 20.50%.

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 4,100 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,247,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $573.88. 2,593,766 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,583,637. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $563.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $553.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $454.89 and a one year high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. The firm's revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was 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 approximately $14,630,844.40. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the business'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 value of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,453 shares of company stock valued at $20,178,667. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Macquarie reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $615.33.

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.