Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Raises Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 18.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 511,563 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 80,864 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 0.8% of Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned approximately 0.06% of Mastercard worth $269,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MA. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,510 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $795,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY grew its position in Mastercard by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 7,029 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,701,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Taika Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at about $384,000. Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 121.4% in the 4th quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 34,356 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $18,091,000 after buying an additional 18,841 shares during the period. Finally, M. Kulyk & Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 4,015 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,114,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $546.98 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The business has a fifty day moving average of $545.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $521.14. The stock has a market cap of $498.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.38, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. 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 0.56%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus 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.