Fermata Advisors LLC Has $819,000 Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Fermata Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 123.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,554 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 860 shares during the period. Fermata Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $819,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter worth about $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 74.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $523.08 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $524.17 and a 200-day moving average of $493.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $480.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $425.48 and a 1 year high of $537.70.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.39 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current year.

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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 19.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Macquarie increased their price target 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

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.