J. Stern & Co. LLP Has $48.33 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 109,555 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,667 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 5.8% of J. Stern & Co. LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. J. Stern & Co. LLP’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $48,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $27,000. VitalStone Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 60 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $492.74 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $458.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $501.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $466.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $461.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.85 billion. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. William Blair raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Compass Point started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Mastercard from $531.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered Mastercard from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $470.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $512.08.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,152,308 shares in the company, valued at $41,762,504,462.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total value of $2,310,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 17,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,440,885.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 138,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.19, for a total transaction of $62,540,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,152,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,762,504,462.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 474,124 shares of company stock valued at $219,855,929. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.