Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $348.71 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 662,219 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,208 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.3% of Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $348,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $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 acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Mastercard stock 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 stock has a market capitalization of $522.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.96, a PEG ratio of 2.37 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $537.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $512.17.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is 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.