Howland Capital Management LLC Sells 39 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Howland Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,842 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 39 shares during the quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $562.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $516.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $576.94. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $531.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $505.09.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upped their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

Mastercard 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.