GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases 2,493 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 19.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 15,007 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,493 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 0.6% of GAMMA Investing LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of MA stock opened at $552.02 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $503.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.71, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $563.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $545.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The company’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Macquarie cut their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $611.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total value of $173,910.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,669,203. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $536,480.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 24,582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,765,920. The trade was a 3.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 36,383 shares of company stock valued at $19,035,108 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.