CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 388 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 24.1% in the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA opened at $568.97 on Thursday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The business has a 50 day moving average of $537.79 and a 200-day moving average of $512.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a market cap of $522.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.96, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a share buyback 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.