Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC Increases Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,896 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $533.50 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $524.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $497.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $537.70. The stock has a market cap of $489.66 billion, a PE ratio of 40.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Macquarie upped their price target on Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $567.29.

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.