Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stake Lifted by Nvest Financial LLC

Nvest Financial LLC raised its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,432 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 244 shares during the quarter. Nvest Financial LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $754,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at about $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 74.0% in the third 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 during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE:MA opened at $547.61 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $551.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $502.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.42, a PEG ratio of 2.10 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. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $525.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $499.45.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.39 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on MA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $584.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $567.29.

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.