Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by Freestone Capital Holdings LLC

Freestone Capital Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,090 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $15,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Swedbank AB raised 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 worth $925,662,000 after acquiring an additional 241,297 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 39.6% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after buying an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. United Advisor Group LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 68.8% in the third quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 854 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $422,000 after buying an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $231,000. Finally, Tobias Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $200,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $558.81 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $544.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $519.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $509.47 billion, a PE ratio of 40.23, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MA. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four 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 MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.