Deltec Asset Management LLC Sells 700 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Deltec Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,426 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.3% of Deltec Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Deltec Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $6,543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Money Concepts Capital Corp boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 1,874 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $987,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 4,567 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,439,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Mastercard by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 110,009 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $55,725,000 after acquiring an additional 12,502 shares during the last quarter. Jericho Financial LLP bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $1,176,000. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 12,617 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,642,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. KeyCorp raised their target price on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $559.21 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $513.26 billion, a PE ratio of 40.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $576.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $529.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $503.41.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

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.