Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. Sells 23 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 415 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 23 shares during the period. Yeomans Consulting Group Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $219,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at $34,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.2 %

MA opened at $533.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $537.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $489.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $524.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $496.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 23.00%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MA shares. Macquarie lifted their price target on Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $575.00 price objective (up from $565.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $566.63.

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.