Compound Global Advisors LLC Makes New $369,000 Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Compound Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 700 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $369,000. Mastercard comprises about 1.5% of Compound Global Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $4,659,000. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,056 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,136,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Violich Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 155.8% during the 4th quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,043 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,762,000 after purchasing an additional 5,508 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 18,201 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,863 shares during the period. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 97,359 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $51,266,000 after buying an additional 4,012 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $565.51 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $519.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $531.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $506.04. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $576.94.

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 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%. Equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price objective (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $603.08.

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.