Orrstown Financial Services Inc. Grows Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Orrstown Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,120 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Orrstown Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $1.35 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $548.71. The stock had a trading volume of 178,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,469,605. The firm has a market cap of $503.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.51, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $551.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $525.85 and a 200-day moving average of $499.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.39 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $567.29.

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.