By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA – Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,208 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 153 shares during the quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at about $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Mastercard Trading Down 1.8 %
NYSE MA opened at $555.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $509.97 billion, a PE ratio of 42.03, a PEG 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $528.28 and a 200-day moving average of $501.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.
Mastercard (NYSE:MA – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Mastercard Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 23.00%.
Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $595.64.
View Our Latest Analysis on MA
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.
Further Reading
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