Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Range Financial Group LLC

Range Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 155.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,069 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 12,522.2% in the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 55,790 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 55,348 shares in the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 6.5% in the second quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 1,306 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at $277,000. X Square Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. X Square Capital LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonekeep Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth about $316,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $572.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $562.76.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $511.89. The stock had a trading volume of 2,211,449 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,376,616. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $523.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $490.70. The company has a market capitalization of $469.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.72, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $416.53 and a 1-year high of $537.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.39 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.