Symmetry Investments LP Boosts Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Symmetry Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 20.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,600 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Symmetry Investments LP’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,235,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,452 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $10,429,000 after acquiring an additional 3,306 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 213.2% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 8,456 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,756 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 41,250 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $19,865,000 after purchasing an additional 2,676 shares during the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 42.0% during the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 11,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,000,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 96.8% in the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 593,789 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $253,144,000 after buying an additional 292,064 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total value of $60,189,260.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 92,426,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,466,191,473.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 131,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.46, for a total value of $60,189,260.00. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $12,423,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 605,124 shares of company stock worth $280,045,189 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $492.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $359.77 and a 1 year high of $501.80. The company’s 50-day moving average is $466.24 and its 200 day moving average is $461.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $457.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Argus upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Mastercard from $490.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Compass Point began coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $531.00 to $536.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Five equities 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.