Hutchinson Capital Management CA Makes New Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Hutchinson Capital Management CA acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 393 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 14.8% during the 3rd 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. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,031,915 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,497,160,000 after purchasing an additional 138,842 shares during the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,826 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,889,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Coastline Trust Co raised its stake in Mastercard by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Coastline Trust Co now owns 17,969 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,873,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $23,623,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on MA shares. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $527.87 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $545.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $522.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market cap of $481.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

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, beating 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management 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.