Black Diamond Financial LLC Buys 168 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Black Diamond Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 18.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,080 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the quarter. Black Diamond Financial LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $569,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. World Equity Group Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $362,000. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its stake in Mastercard by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 180,139 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $94,856,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,602 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,583,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 71.5% in the 4th quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 2,903 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,529,000 after acquiring an additional 1,210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co increased its stake in Mastercard by 68.4% in the 4th quarter. DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co now owns 1,928 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $557.44 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $576.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $508.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $538.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $514.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup upped their price objective on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.