Prosperitas Financial LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Prosperitas Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,775 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 289 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 1.5% of Prosperitas Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Prosperitas Financial LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,041,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at about $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $564.91 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $576.94. The company has a 50 day moving average of $541.87 and a 200 day moving average of $516.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The company has a market capitalization of $515.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a share 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 buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MA. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average 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.