Katamaran Capital LLP Has $13.86 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Katamaran Capital LLP boosted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 166.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,735 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,317 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 11.2% of Katamaran Capital LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Katamaran Capital LLP’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cornerstone Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 9,745 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,869,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. Members Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Members Trust Co now owns 605 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,957 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,976,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Nwam LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 224.2% during the 1st quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 4,980 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,488,000 after purchasing an additional 3,444 shares during the period. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its stake in Mastercard by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 40,517 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,245,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $605.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane raised Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $600.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Dbs Bank upgraded Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $653.78.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.2%

MA opened at $538.88 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $464.52 and a one year high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $501.15 and its 200-day moving average is $516.55. The company has a market capitalization of $476.14 billion, a PE ratio of 31.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.73.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.26 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.73 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.14%.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Mastercard to $680 from $660 and kept an “Outperform” rating, citing expectations for revenue growth acceleration in the coming quarters. Baird Raises PT on Mastercard (MA) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage on Mastercard with an “Overweight” rating and a $640 price target, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock. Barclays Initiates Mastercard (MA) Coverage at Overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard continues to expand partnerships and product usage, including RAKBANK strengthening its relationship with Mastercard, Kraken rolling out a Mastercard crypto debit card in the UK and Europe, and new consumer perks such as NordVPN access. RAKBANK and Mastercard strengthen strategic relationship to drive payments innovation
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard’s shares have been trading higher recently as the company benefits from broader strength in financial stocks and a positive earnings backdrop from its last report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard is reportedly considering selling a majority stake in its UK payments subsidiary Vocalink, a move that could free up capital and reduce regulatory overhang, but it also raises questions about its long-term strategy in a key infrastructure asset. Mastercard examines sale of UK payments subsidiary Vocalink
• Neutral Sentiment: The House passed a bill that would restrict payment card networks from requiring firearm-related merchant category codes, which could create compliance changes for Mastercard, though the financial impact is still uncertain. Congress Vote: The House has passed H.R. 1181 – Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act
• Negative Sentiment: Citi ThankYou Mastercard losing JetBlue as a transfer partner could make that card less attractive to some consumers, potentially pressuring associated card economics and brand appeal. Citi ThankYou Mastercard Loses JetBlue as a Transfer Partner

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 4,828 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.00, for a total value of $2,534,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,625,225. The trade was a 22.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.