Verus Capital Partners LLC Grows Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,325 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $698,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $39,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 483.3% in the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 88 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MA shares. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Macquarie increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE:MA opened at $576.08 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $542.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $517.21. The stock has a market cap of $525.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

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.