Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Has $41.45 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 105,400 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 9,260 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $41,454,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. ERTS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.9% during the second quarter. ERTS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,376 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $541,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.0% during the second quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 869 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Acropolis Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.6% during the second quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $660,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. New World Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.0% during the second quarter. New World Advisors LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $511,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Archer Investment Corp boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.8% during the first quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 3,409 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,209,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.94% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $400.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.87, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $395.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $391.43. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $336.43 and a twelve month high of $418.60.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The credit services provider reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.18. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.85% and a return on equity of 188.83%. The firm had revenue of $6.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 9th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 5th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 19.86%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, Director Richard K. Davis bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $390.96 per share, with a total value of $390,960.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,809,123.28. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 2,093 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.00, for a total transaction of $868,595.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,587,525. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Richard K. Davis acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $390.96 per share, with a total value of $390,960.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,743 shares in the company, valued at $3,809,123.28. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 533,424 shares of company stock valued at $206,051,295. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MA shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $441.00 to $432.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 27th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $433.00 to $486.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $460.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 15th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 25th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $435.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $450.09.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services.