Ullmann Wealth Partners Group LLC Purchases 30 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Ullmann Wealth Partners Group LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 635 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Ullmann Wealth Partners Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $334,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, November 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Four investment 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.1 %

MA stock opened at $523.08 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $524.17 and its 200-day moving average is $493.43. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $425.48 and a twelve month high of $537.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $480.10 billion, a PE ratio of 39.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion for 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%. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.39 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.97%.

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

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.