Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Position Raised by Means Investment CO. Inc.

Means Investment CO. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,834 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Means Investment CO. Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership lifted its position in Mastercard by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Susquehanna upped their price target on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $595.64.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $555.63 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $509.97 billion, a PE ratio of 40.00, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $528.28 and its 200-day moving average is $501.43.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

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

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.