Acadian Asset Management LLC Acquires 209,943 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 88.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 446,348 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 209,943 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 0.7% of Acadian Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Acadian Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $214,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MA. Fiducient Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association raised its position in Mastercard by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 81,658 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,324,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,584,606 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,399,279,000 after acquiring an additional 330,872 shares in the last quarter. Alera Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 15.6% in the first quarter. Alera Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,066 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spirepoint Private Client LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $4,620,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 151,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.55, for a total value of $68,335,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,930,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,413,260,885.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 151,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.55, for a total value of $68,335,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 95,930,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,413,260,885.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.00, for a total value of $136,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,572,202. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,052,228 shares of company stock valued at $1,377,797,220 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock traded down $5.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $443.69. The stock had a trading volume of 2,121,736 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,818,691. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $448.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $455.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $412.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $359.77 and a 52 week high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.25 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, May 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $531.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price target on Mastercard from $480.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Bank of America downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $505.00 to $480.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $498.13.

Mastercard Company 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.