PDS Planning Inc Boosts Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

PDS Planning Inc grew its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Swedbank AB lifted its position 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 valued at $925,662,000 after buying an additional 241,297 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Mastercard by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,031,915 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,497,160,000 after purchasing an additional 138,842 shares during the period. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 41,799 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $20,641,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 8,144 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,021,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Aljian Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,506,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock opened at $532.66 on Tuesday. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $545.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $523.50. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $582.23. The firm has a market cap of $485.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.35, 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 return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $635.00 price target (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp upped their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna upped their price target on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

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.