Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Holdings Increased by waypoint wealth counsel

waypoint wealth counsel raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 482 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the quarter. waypoint wealth counsel’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $254,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Mastercard Stock Down 0.1 %

Mastercard stock opened at $533.50 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $489.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $524.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $497.46. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $537.70. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.39 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a stock 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Macquarie lifted their price target on Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Mizuho lifted their target price on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $572.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.