Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Takes Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 17,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $9,136,000. Mastercard makes up about 0.9% of Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% during the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MA. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $635.00 target price (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.5 %

MA stock opened at $546.98 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $545.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $520.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $498.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.38, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.