Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC Sells 182 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,916 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 182 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 0.8% of Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,535,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $562.55 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $531.61 and its 200 day moving average is $505.53. The stock has a market cap of $516.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.50, a PEG 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 1.29.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Macquarie boosted their price target on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $603.08.

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.