Baker Chad R Sells 40 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Baker Chad R lessened its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 44,205 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 40 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 4.6% of Baker Chad R’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Baker Chad R’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $23,277,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on MA shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $584.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, November 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $566.63.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $525.22 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $427.45 and a 52-week high of $537.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm has a market cap of $482.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.73, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50 day moving average is $524.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $493.64.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.39 EPS. Analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.97%.

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.