Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS reduced its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 174,291 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 5,312 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 0.6% of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $91,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 696 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 260,577 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $137,212,000 after buying an additional 33,111 shares during the period. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $513,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 47.6% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 427,116 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $224,906,000 after acquiring an additional 137,815 shares during the period. Finally, First National Bank of Hutchinson boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 2,561 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,349,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock opened at $535.93 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $546.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $523.92. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The company has a market capitalization of $488.61 billion, a PE ratio of 38.58, a P/E/G 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 (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie boosted their price target on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.