Ransom Advisory Ltd Makes New $2.01 Million Investment in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 3,659 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,006,000. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.0% of Ransom Advisory Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ethos Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 19.5% during the 1st quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,174 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,683,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the period. Fortis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 9.4% during the first quarter. Fortis Advisors LLC now owns 871 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida raised its holdings in Mastercard by 36.4% during the first quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 693 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 18.0% in the first quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,870 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,766,000 after purchasing an additional 1,047 shares during the period. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS boosted its stake in Mastercard by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 22,640 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $12,409,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $645.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price target on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $626.54.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $584.59 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $528.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.99. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $465.59 and a 1-year high of $601.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $573.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $557.87.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.05 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $8.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.50 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 12,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $536,480.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 23,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,229,440. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 59,481 shares of company stock worth $32,616,595 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.