New World Advisors LLC Buys 203 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

New World Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 15.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,478 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.2% of New World Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. New World Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, 10Elms LLP acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:MA opened at $550.02 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $501.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.57, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $561.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $545.04. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.31 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 21.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $610.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.05, for a total transaction of $3,328,555.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,636,125.55. The trade was a 13.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total transaction of $85,417.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,024,394.75. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,115 shares of company stock valued at $18,324,718. 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.