Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC

Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 36.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 750 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. AdvisorShares Investments LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 1,007 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.9% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,250,760 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,875,266,000 after buying an additional 38,380 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter valued at $1,998,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its position in Mastercard by 5.0% during the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 14,299 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,308,000 after buying an additional 675 shares during the period. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 10.3% in the second quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 77,179 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $34,048,000 after buying an additional 7,222 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.9 %

MA stock opened at $516.06 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $418.54 and a one year high of $537.70. The firm has a market cap of $473.66 billion, a PE ratio of 39.04, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $524.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $491.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.39 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase 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 often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date 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

MA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna raised their target price on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $562.76.

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.