Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Position Boosted by Veery Capital LLC

Veery Capital LLC boosted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,421 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Veery Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. increased its stake in Mastercard by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 1,634 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $832,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $215,000. Smith Salley Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 49,076 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $25,842,000 after buying an additional 928 shares during the period. Jackson Square Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 59.4% during the 4th quarter. Jackson Square Capital LLC now owns 8,203 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,319,000 after buying an additional 3,056 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TCP Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $525.22 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $427.45 and a 12-month high of $537.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $482.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $524.28 and its 200-day moving average is $494.24.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 19.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Mizuho upped their target price on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Four investment 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

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.