Meitav Investment House Ltd. Boosts Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Meitav Investment House Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 77,228 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Meitav Investment House Ltd.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $40,661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 24.1% in the 4th quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $568.97 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $576.94. The company has a market cap of $522.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.96, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $537.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $512.17.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MA. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their target price on Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.