Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Holdings Raised by Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,135 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $549.25 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $525.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $499.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $504.11 billion, a PE ratio of 41.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $551.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

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

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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 paid a $0.76 dividend. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Susquehanna upped their price target on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $567.29.

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.