Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,494 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 66 shares during the period. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% in the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $565.51 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $531.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $506.04. The company has a market cap of $519.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MA shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays increased their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.