Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC

Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,586 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Howard Financial Services LTD. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 2,391 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,259,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. Dominguez Wealth Management Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Dominguez Wealth Management Solutions Inc. now owns 821 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $432,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 580.0% during the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 353,231 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $186,001,000 after purchasing an additional 301,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TrueWealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock opened at $525.22 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $427.45 and a 12 month high of $537.70. The stock has a market cap of $482.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $524.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $493.64.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.39 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program 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 programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 19.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on MA. Seaport Res Ptn cut Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, November 25th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

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.