Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Holdings Lifted by CWS Financial Advisors LLC

CWS Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,297 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. CWS Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $683,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $39,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% in the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $54,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $558.44 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $539.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $514.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $509.13 billion, a PE ratio of 40.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 target price (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.11.

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.