Corps Capital Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 3,264 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Corps Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,264 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,719,000. Mastercard makes up about 1.7% of Corps Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cumberland Partners Ltd raised its holdings in Mastercard by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd now owns 62,428 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,873,000 after acquiring an additional 879 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 83,239 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,831,000 after purchasing an additional 13,532 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,559 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Jessup Wealth Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $211,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $568.97 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $537.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $512.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $522.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

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

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.