Capital Investment Services of America Inc. Acquires 19 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Capital Investment Services of America Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 475 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Capital Investment Services of America Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership grew its stake in Mastercard by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MA. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $603.08.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.2 %

MA stock opened at $566.05 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $519.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $529.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $503.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are 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 given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

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.