Private Client Services LLC Grows Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Private Client Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 832 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 52 shares during the quarter. Private Client Services LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $438,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $4.27 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $515.67. The company had a trading volume of 1,037,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,112,119. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $418.54 and a 52 week high of $537.70. The firm has a market cap of $473.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.01, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average of $523.76 and a 200-day moving average of $491.10. 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 (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.39 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders 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 is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program 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 buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $562.76.

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.