Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by New Republic Capital LLC

New Republic Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 11.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,681 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the quarter. New Republic Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on MA. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Macquarie cut their price target on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $612.90.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $568.18 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $565.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $550.38. 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 Incorporated has a 12-month low of $432.11 and a 12-month high of $594.71. The firm has a market cap of $518.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.84, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.31 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock valued at $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Mastercard

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.