Nixon Peabody Trust Co. Has $26.36 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Nixon Peabody Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 50,055 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 2.2% of Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $26,357,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA now owns 3,648 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,921,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 6,594 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,472,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,182,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 56,174 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,580,000 after purchasing an additional 5,915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $584,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $576.08 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $542.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $517.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $525.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Macquarie boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.