Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Pinion Investment Advisors LLC

Pinion Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,240 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 31 shares during the period. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 483.3% during the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 88 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $574.39 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $543.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $518.76. The stock has a market cap of $523.68 billion, a PE ratio of 41.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23. 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 (NYSE:MA) last announced its 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Raymond James reiterated 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard 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.