Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Callahan Advisors LLC

Callahan Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,277 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 1.3% of Callahan Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Callahan Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,310,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% in the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MA. TD Cowen increased their price objective 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. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $564.77 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $518.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $536.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $511.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

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

About Mastercard

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.