Quantitative Investment Management LLC Increases Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Quantitative Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 47.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,335 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,257 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 1.1% of Quantitative Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Quantitative Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Mastercard by 820.0% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 113.8% in the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $595.51 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $464.52 and a one year high of $601.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $549.15 and a 200 day moving average of $519.51. The company has a market capitalization of $521.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.15 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $632.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $695.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $701.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $629.00 to $642.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $664.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total value of $2,440,926.80. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 31,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,781,695.49. This trade represents a 12.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 16,628 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $567.68, for a total value of $9,439,383.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 115,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,806,033.28. This represents a 12.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 71,357 shares of company stock valued at $40,637,262 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

More Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and QNB Group processed Syria’s first international card transaction in more than 15 years. The milestone marks the reopening and modernization of Syria’s international payments infrastructure following the lifting of certain U.S. restrictions. Although the near-term financial contribution is likely to be small, the development creates a potential new market and demonstrates Mastercard’s ability to support payments expansion. Syria marks first international card transaction in more than 15 years with Mastercard and QNB Group
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have given Mastercard a consensus “Buy” rating. Continued Wall Street support adds to the bullish backdrop, though the rating itself may already be reflected in the share price. Mastercard Incorporated Given Consensus Rating of Buy by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman added Mastercard to the hedge fund’s portfolio. The purchase may improve investor sentiment by signaling confidence from a prominent long-term investor, although it does not change Mastercard’s operating outlook. Bill Ackman Just Made His Biggest Portfolio Overhaul in Years
• Positive Sentiment: A partnership with Klook targets growing travel and experiences spending across Asia Pacific. Mastercard cardholder benefits and additional travel-related payment touchpoints could support transaction volume in a high-growth region. Klook and Mastercard collaborate to enhance travelers’ experiences across Asia Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard will participate in the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 10, where CFO Ling Hai is scheduled to speak. Investors may look for updates on growth, margins and capital allocation, but no new financial information was provided. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s name appears as a supporter of an XRPL/Ripple hackathon, but reports caution that the sponsorship does not represent a new cryptocurrency partnership or major product launch. Mastercard’s Name Is on the Ripple Hackathon, But Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself

Mastercard Company Profile

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.