Everence Capital Management Inc. Has $10.28 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Everence Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,526 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,700 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 0.7% of Everence Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $10,282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at about $432,000. Founders Financial Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 7.7% during the second quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 617 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter worth $263,000. Mattern Capital Management LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $461,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FineMark National Bank & Trust raised its position in Mastercard by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 56,611 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $24,975,000 after buying an additional 1,126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock traded down $1.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $521.03. The company had a trading volume of 513,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,637,441. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $523.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $489.21. The company has a market capitalization of $478.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $416.53 and a 1 year high of $537.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MA shares. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $562.76.

About Mastercard

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.