Leuthold Group LLC Has $8.67 Million Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Leuthold Group LLC lowered its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 563 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 1.0% of Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,674,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $557.44 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $538.98 and a 200-day moving average of $513.33. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The company has a market capitalization of $511.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given 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 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.