Oak Ridge Investments LLC Buys 2,045 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,063 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,045 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 1.5% of Oak Ridge Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Oak Ridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $18,990,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.5% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 80,661 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $35,584,000 after purchasing an additional 3,473 shares during the last quarter. Blue Whale Capital LLP boosted its stake in Mastercard by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Whale Capital LLP now owns 127,250 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $56,138,000 after purchasing an additional 4,750 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Mastercard by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 142,002 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $62,646,000 after buying an additional 5,158 shares in the last quarter. Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda. increased its position in Mastercard by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Investidor Profissional Gestao de Recursos Ltda. now owns 24,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,652,000 after buying an additional 1,559 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.6% in the second quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 14,949 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,595,000 after acquiring an additional 1,549 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $525.22 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $524.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $494.24. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $427.45 and a 12 month high of $537.70. The company has a market capitalization 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 current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

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

Mastercard Increases Dividend

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

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in 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 usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.