Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by SeaTown Holdings Pte. Ltd.

SeaTown Holdings Pte. Ltd. lowered its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 31.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,801 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 7,830 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 6.1% of SeaTown Holdings Pte. Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. SeaTown Holdings Pte. Ltd.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,847,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $525.22 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $427.45 and a 1-year high of $537.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $524.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $494.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $482.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.97%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on MA shares. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $584.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective (up previously from $565.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $572.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $566.63.

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.