2,362 Shares in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Purchased by Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC

Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,362 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,244,000. Mastercard accounts for 0.5% of Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.5% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 80,661 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $35,584,000 after acquiring an additional 3,473 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in Mastercard by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 142,002 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $62,646,000 after purchasing an additional 5,158 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 15.0% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 39,540 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after purchasing an additional 5,160 shares during the period. Kowal Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Kowal Investment Group LLC now owns 666 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.7% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 185,523 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,845,000 after buying an additional 4,814 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $525.22 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $482.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.73, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $427.45 and a fifty-two week high of $537.70. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $524.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $494.59.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.39 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MA. Mizuho lifted their target price on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $584.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Seaport Res Ptn cut Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $566.63.

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.