Marshall Financial Group LLC Increases Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Marshall Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,003 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $567.29.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock opened at $533.50 on Friday. 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. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $537.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $524.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $497.10. 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) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is 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 given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.