Empower Advisory Group LLC Has $224.29 Million Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 425,948 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,919 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.8% of Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $224,292,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Planning boosted its stake in Mastercard by 5.8% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 205,594 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $101,523,000 after purchasing an additional 11,331 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its position in Mastercard by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $925,662,000 after buying an additional 241,297 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,321,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Capital LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 124,605 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $61,530,000 after acquiring an additional 4,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $401,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.3 %

Mastercard stock opened at $564.77 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94. The stock has a market cap of $518.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $535.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $510.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 price target (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

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.