First Horizon Advisors Inc. Acquires 116 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,256 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% during the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $557.44 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $508.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $538.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $514.23. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94.

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, topping the consensus estimate 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. TD Cowen raised their target price on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $635.00 target price (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho increased their price target on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard 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.