Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC Decreases Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 646 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 26 shares during the quarter. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 120.0% in the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1 %

Mastercard stock opened at $563.21 on Tuesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The company has a market capitalization of $516.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $528.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $501.78.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Macquarie raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $599.42.

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.