Vista Investment Partners II LLC Acquires 378 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Vista Investment Partners II LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,730 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 378 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 1.7% of Vista Investment Partners II LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Vista Investment Partners II LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, 10Elms LLP bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $611.50.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE MA opened at $552.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $503.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $563.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $545.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.31 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.32%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total transaction of $173,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,669,203. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $588.18, for a total transaction of $5,545,361.04. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 58,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,379,709.18. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,383 shares of company stock worth $19,035,108 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.