Martin & Co. Inc. TN Sells 239 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Martin & Co. Inc. TN decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,034 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 239 shares during the period. Martin & Co. Inc. TN’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,651,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV grew its position in Mastercard by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 7,476 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,937,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $112,000. NTV Asset Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC now owns 1,164 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $613,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,357 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,241,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the period. Finally, Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $564.77 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $535.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $510.30. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $576.94. 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 stock has a market cap of $518.36 billion, a PE ratio of 40.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on MA. TD Cowen raised their target price on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays raised their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.