Old Port Advisors Has $885,000 Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Old Port Advisors grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,681 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Old Port Advisors’ holdings in Mastercard were worth $885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter worth $432,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.4% during the second quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,940 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,738,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Allegheny Financial Group LTD grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 41.2% during the second quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD now owns 613 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 701 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Founders Financial Securities LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 617 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $1.66 during trading on Thursday, reaching $524.91. 963,848 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,467,849. The firm has a market cap of $481.78 billion, a PE ratio of 39.71, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $416.53 and a 12 month high of $537.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $523.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $488.98.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.39 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm 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 boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 23.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Compass Point assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $525.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $562.76.

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.