Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is Sora Investors LLC’s 10th Largest Position

Sora Investors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 40.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 35,000 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 3.0% of Sora Investors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Sora Investors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $17,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. OLD National Bancorp IN raised its stake in Mastercard by 19.5% during the second quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 9,911 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,614 shares during the period. Accel Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $254,000. Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 27.2% during the second quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,434 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,280,000 after buying an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 29.0% in the second quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,451 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $640,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sax Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth $457,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $524.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $513.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $478.04. The company has a market capitalization of $481.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.71, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $407.15 and a twelve month high of $535.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.39 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th were issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 19.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $544.00 to $564.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Macquarie lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $549.16.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.10, for a total transaction 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 approximately $8,440,885.80. The trade was a 21.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by 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.