Mitchell Capital Management Co. Acquires 120 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Mitchell Capital Management Co. increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,494 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 1.5% of Mitchell Capital Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Mitchell Capital Management Co.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,685,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 72.5% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 2.0 %

NYSE MA opened at $576.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $525.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.47, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The business’s 50-day moving average is $542.83 and its 200 day moving average is $517.61.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MA shares. TD Cowen increased their target price on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.