Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $276.81 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 525,676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,477 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $276,805,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 46.4% during the fourth quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 35,701 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $18,799,000 after purchasing an additional 11,318 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,175,730 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,725,384,000 after purchasing an additional 165,300 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 71,862 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $37,841,000 after purchasing an additional 1,194 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 9,163 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,825,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,436 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,549,000 after purchasing an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $554.88 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $544.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $519.37. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The firm has a market cap of $505.89 billion, a PE ratio of 39.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. DZ Bank upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna raised their price target on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price target on the stock in a report 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Company 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.