Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Position Increased by Sycomore Asset Management

Sycomore Asset Management increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 72.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 39,834 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,707 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 2.5% of Sycomore Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Sycomore Asset Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $19,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Elser Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $245,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 20,756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $10,929,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 826 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co lifted its stake in Mastercard by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 40,008 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $21,067,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $562.55 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $516.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.50, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $531.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $505.53.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved 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 repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th were given a $0.76 dividend. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $603.08.

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.