Capital Management Associates Inc Increases Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Capital Management Associates Inc boosted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 94.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,038 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 990 shares during the quarter. Capital Management Associates Inc’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,117,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Interchange Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.7% in the first quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,663,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 8.1% in the first quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 101,082 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $55,405,000 after acquiring an additional 7,605 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Bank raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.5% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 39,288 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $21,535,000 after buying an additional 972 shares during the last quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 1.2% in the first quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,789,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Point Advisors LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 7.6% during the first quarter. Pacific Point Advisors LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,645,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:MA opened at $566.53 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $566.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $546.84. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $516.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.73, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $640.00 target price for the company. Citigroup boosted 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $611.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total transaction of $173,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,669,203. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,441 shares of company stock worth $20,173,035. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.