Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Position Lifted by Dynasty Wealth Management LLC

Dynasty Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,361 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 471 shares during the period. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Schulz Wealth LTD. bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $208,000. First American Bank grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. First American Bank now owns 2,110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,111,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Hilltop Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop Partners LLC now owns 4,281 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,254,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sentinel Trust Co. LBA bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $395,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $564.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $515.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $541.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $516.37.

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

Mastercard declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

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.