Stevens Capital Management LP Grows Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Stevens Capital Management LP raised its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 438.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,429 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up 0.9% of Stevens Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Stevens Capital Management LP’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock opened at $564.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $514.26 billion, a PE ratio of 39.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $565.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $549.52. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $429.56 and a one year high of $594.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $612.90.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the sale, the insider owned 58,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084. 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.