Pointe Capital Management LLC Sells 20 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Pointe Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,690 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 20 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up 0.8% of Pointe Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Pointe Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 8,647 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,553,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc now owns 936 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. ORBA Wealth Advisors L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. Impact Investors Inc acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $1,591,000. Finally, Sabal Trust CO lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Sabal Trust CO now owns 13,794 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,264,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.0 %

MA opened at $564.68 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $540.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $515.72. 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 $514.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Mastercard declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 target price (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.