Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by First Bank & Trust

First Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,931 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 0.8% of First Bank & Trust’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. First Bank & Trust’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,176,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $925,662,000 after acquiring an additional 241,297 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 563 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,467 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,119,000 after purchasing an additional 2,721 shares during the period. Metropolis Capital Ltd boosted its position in Mastercard by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter. Metropolis Capital Ltd now owns 395,189 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $195,144,000 after purchasing an additional 63,541 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet North America Advisors SA boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 15,488 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,648,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $568.97 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $537.79 and its 200-day moving average is $512.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $522.22 billion, a PE ratio of 40.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Macquarie boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 price objective (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted 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. DZ Bank upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Company 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.