Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. Trims Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 29.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,275 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 6,272 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 3.6% of Gibraltar Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Gibraltar Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,043,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $39,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% in the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MA. Barclays increased their price target on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of MA opened at $564.68 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $514.82 billion, a PE ratio of 40.65, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $540.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $515.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard 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.