Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance Decreases Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 716 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 36 shares during the quarter. Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $377,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% in the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $565.51 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $576.94. The company has a market capitalization of $519.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $531.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $506.04.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced 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 15.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share repurchase 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

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.