Sapient Capital LLC Has $51.27 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Sapient Capital LLC increased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 97,359 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,012 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up approximately 1.0% of Sapient Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $51,266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership grew its holdings in Mastercard by 120.0% during the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $565.51 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $519.05 billion, a PE ratio of 40.71, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $531.61 and a 200-day moving average of $506.04. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released 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 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $603.08.

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.