Sapient Capital LLC Acquires 4,012 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Sapient Capital LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 97,359 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,012 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 1.0% of Sapient Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $51,266,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $319,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 9.4% during the third quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 372 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $184,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Martin Capital Advisors LLP boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.4% in the third quarter. Martin Capital Advisors LLP now owns 9,528 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,705,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Willis Investment Counsel increased its position in Mastercard by 3.3% in the third quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 16,872 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,331,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the period. Finally, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in Mastercard by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 98,953 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $48,863,000 after purchasing an additional 8,529 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $565.51 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm 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. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $576.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $531.61 and its 200-day moving average is $506.04.

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

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $635.00 price target (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $603.08.

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.