Prossimo Advisors LLC Sells 25 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Prossimo Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,866 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 25 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 1.5% of Prossimo Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Prossimo Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 24.1% in the 4th quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $567.90 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The company has a market capitalization of $521.24 billion, a PE ratio of 40.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $537.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $511.77. 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 (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share 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, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.