Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Increases Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 180,139 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 1.0% of Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $94,856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 483.3% during the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price objective (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $557.44 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $508.22 billion, a PE ratio of 40.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $538.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $513.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

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

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.