Clearstead Trust LLC Grows Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Clearstead Trust LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 18.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,416 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 833 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 0.6% of Clearstead Trust LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Clearstead Trust LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,852,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Copperwynd Financial LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 4,232 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,229,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $1,928,000. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in Mastercard by 333.3% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd now owns 2,600 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in Mastercard by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 40,634 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $21,396,000 after purchasing an additional 4,343 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 68,094 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $35,856,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $527.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $545.38 and its 200 day moving average is $522.44. The stock has a market cap of $481.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MA. Macquarie increased their price target on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased 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. DZ Bank upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.