Schulz Wealth LTD. Takes $208,000 Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Schulz Wealth LTD. bought a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 395 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 14.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $925,662,000 after purchasing an additional 241,297 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 533 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.4% during the third quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 6,115 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,122,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 20.7% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 466 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $564.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $541.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $516.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The company has a market capitalization of $515.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.67, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average 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.