Virtu Financial LLC Invests $1.16 Million in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,620 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,155,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,337,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,427 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $609,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 8,431 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,565,000 after buying an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Sachetta LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $84,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $694,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:MA opened at $494.76 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $464.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $460.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $459.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $359.77 and a 1-year high of $501.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.85 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.99%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total transaction of $60,189,260.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,426,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,466,191,473.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Mastercard news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total value of $6,114,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,423,320. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total transaction of $60,189,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 92,426,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,466,191,473.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 605,124 shares of company stock valued at $280,045,189 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MA shares. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $532.00 to $533.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Compass Point began coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Mastercard from $528.00 to $538.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $512.08.

About Mastercard

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.