Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by BLB&B Advisors LLC

BLB&B Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,902 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 227 shares during the quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,055,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brookstone Capital Management lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 8,390 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,143,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 5.6% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 57,927 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $28,604,000 after purchasing an additional 3,089 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.1% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 832 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 10.1% in the third quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,780 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,829,000 after buying an additional 897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $273,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $562.55 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $531.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $504.29. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $516.33 billion, a PE ratio of 40.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 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 (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

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.