Peddock Capital Advisors LLC Has $4.59 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Peddock Capital Advisors LLC cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 8,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 119 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.1% of Peddock Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,593,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $505.27 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $463.75 billion, a PE ratio of 38.22, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. 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 Incorporated has a 1-year low of $425.48 and a 1-year high of $537.70. The business’s 50 day moving average is $524.08 and its 200-day moving average is $492.75.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The firm 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.39 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.00%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Mastercard from $566.00 to $572.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $572.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.13.

Mastercard Company 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.