Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by Archford Capital Strategies LLC

Archford Capital Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,169 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2,861.1% in the second quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,193 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,938,000 after acquiring an additional 10,815 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1,211.0% during the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 79,970 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $35,280,000 after purchasing an additional 73,870 shares during the last quarter. Ninepoint Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 7.3% during the second quarter. Ninepoint Partners LP now owns 3,290 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,451,000 after buying an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.7% in the second quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 2,979 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc boosted its position in Mastercard by 4.1% during the second quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc now owns 18,432 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,132,000 after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1 %

Mastercard stock opened at $533.50 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $537.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $489.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.36, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $524.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $497.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan 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 plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 23.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $567.29.

About Mastercard

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.