Petredis Investment Advisors LLC Sells 122 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Petredis Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,597 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 122 shares during the period. Petredis Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $533.50 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $489.66 billion, a PE ratio of 40.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $537.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $524.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $496.49.

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

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on MA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $567.29.

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.