Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Has $1.93 Million Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lessened its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 85.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,666 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 20,761 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE MA opened at $567.90 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $576.94. The company has a 50 day moving average of $537.10 and a 200-day moving average of $511.77. The company has a market cap of $521.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.89, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock 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 repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.