Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by Toth Financial Advisory Corp

Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,065 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 1.7% of Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $14,778,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MA. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 35.7% in the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,438,000 after acquiring an additional 2,052 shares in the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 3,414.9% in the 2nd quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC now owns 59,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,128,000 after acquiring an additional 57,541 shares during the last quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 2,861.1% during the second quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,193 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,938,000 after buying an additional 10,815 shares during the period. Scientech Research LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 91.6% in the second quarter. Scientech Research LLC now owns 5,171 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,281,000 after acquiring an additional 2,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First County Bank CT increased its position in Mastercard by 3.4% during the second quarter. First County Bank CT now owns 1,823 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $804,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $572.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Four equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $567.29.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $533.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $537.70. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $524.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $497.10. The firm has a market cap of $489.66 billion, a PE ratio of 40.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly 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. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.39 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

Mastercard Company 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.