Flossbach Von Storch SE Sells 25,310 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Flossbach Von Storch SE trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 700,899 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 25,310 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 1.5% of Flossbach Von Storch SE’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Flossbach Von Storch SE’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $369,072,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% during the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.1 %

MA opened at $568.97 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $522.22 billion, a PE ratio of 40.96, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.10. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $537.79 and a 200-day moving average of $512.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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. 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 payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.