BankPlus Trust Department Invests $502,000 in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 953 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $502,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swedbank AB grew its position in Mastercard by 14.8% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $925,662,000 after purchasing an additional 241,297 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its position in Mastercard by 0.6% in the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 6,194 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,059,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 6.5% in the third quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,515 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,192,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 31.3% in the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,144 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,034,000 after purchasing an additional 1,466 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First American Bank bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $939,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock opened at $558.44 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. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $576.94. The firm has a market cap of $509.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $539.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $514.96.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.