Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Has $5.12 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lowered its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,367 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 19 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 1.3% of Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 9.4% in the third quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 372 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $184,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Harrington Investments INC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 14.0% during the third quarter. Harrington Investments INC now owns 3,225 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,593,000 after buying an additional 395 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.8% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 205,594 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $101,523,000 after buying an additional 11,331 shares during the period. Zhang Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.2% during the third quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $810,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 14.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $925,662,000 after buying an additional 241,297 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $564.79 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $532.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $507.00. The company has a market cap of $518.38 billion, a PE ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $576.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership 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 issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on MA shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Mizuho increased their price target on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.