New Century Financial Group LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

New Century Financial Group LLC lessened its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,668 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 266 shares during the quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position 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, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $572.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $566.63.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $533.77 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $524.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $496.23. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $537.70. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $489.91 billion, a PE ratio of 40.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 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 company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.39 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

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.