Diversified Trust Co Purchases 6,456 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 29.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 28,501 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,456 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $15,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth $35,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA traded up $3.28 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $515.21. The company had a trading volume of 547,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,960,885. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $416.53 and a twelve month high of $537.70. The company has a market capitalization of $472.88 billion, a PE ratio of 38.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $523.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $490.70.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.39 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MA. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $562.76.

Mastercard 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.