Clarity Financial LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Clarity Financial LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 29.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 480 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 196 shares during the quarter. Clarity Financial LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Brown Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $673,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth $213,000. Passive Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. Passive Capital Management LLC. now owns 464 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $205,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter worth approximately $1,080,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $567.29.

Mastercard Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $564.81 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $526.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $499.80. The company has a market capitalization of $518.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. 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 earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan 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 plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.