Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd

Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 30.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,920 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,564 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.0% of Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,750,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB boosted its position in Mastercard by 14.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $925,662,000 after acquiring an additional 241,297 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 0.4% during the third quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 6,417 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,169,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.9% during the third quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 3,516 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,736,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 2.3% during the third quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,107 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,624,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Strategies LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 4.5% during the third quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 533 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $560.86 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $541.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $516.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $511.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.38, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

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 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $635.00 target price (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.