725 Shares in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Purchased by Destiny Wealth Partners LLC

Destiny Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 725 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $382,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:MA opened at $555.63 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $576.94. The company has a market cap of $509.97 billion, a PE ratio of 42.03, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $528.28 and a 200-day moving average of $501.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 price target (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday. Barclays raised their price objective on Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $595.64.

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.