Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Acquired by Katamaran Capital LLP

Katamaran Capital LLP boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 166.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,735 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,317 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd increased its stake in Mastercard by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 139,844 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,089,000 after buying an additional 9,504 shares during the period. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $1,113,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 229,299 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $130,902,000 after acquiring an additional 9,795 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 396.3% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 46,145 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,343,000 after acquiring an additional 36,848 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marble Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $1,328,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.2%

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

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.19. The company 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.73 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the company’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,793,880. This represents a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total value of $1,047,276.21. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,702,934.17. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MA. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $605.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Raymond James Financial set a $609.00 price target on Mastercard in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BNP Paribas Exane raised Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $600.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $653.78.

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.