Aigen Investment Management LP Purchases Shares of 8,473 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 8,473 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,644,000. Mastercard comprises about 0.8% of Aigen Investment Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Accredited Investors Inc. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 2.6% in the first quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 718 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 632 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 986 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $574.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $523.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.73, 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. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $563.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $553.43. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $453.46 and a 52 week high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%. The business’s revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,833,004.23. This represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm’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 sale, the insider owned 25,540 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 38,603 shares of company stock worth $20,265,667 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MA. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $650.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.