Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 4,607 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 290,236 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 4,607 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 1.5% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $152,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $219,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 136,202 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $71,720,000 after acquiring an additional 13,928 shares during the period. Main Street Research LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Main Street Research LLC now owns 564 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 511,563 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $269,374,000 after purchasing an additional 80,864 shares during the period. Finally, Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,510 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $795,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $546.98 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $545.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $521.14. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23. 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 cap of $498.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.38, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

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

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MA. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price target (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Four investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.