Fiera Capital Corp Trims Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Fiera Capital Corp cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,392,141 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 131,974 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up 4.0% of Fiera Capital Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Fiera Capital Corp owned 0.26% of Mastercard worth $1,259,630,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Hidden Cove Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Naples Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,019 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,063,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 184,677 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $97,246,000 after buying an additional 6,781 shares during the period. Channing Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 43.3% during the 4th quarter. Channing Global Advisors LLC now owns 9,988 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,259,000 after buying an additional 3,019 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Portfolios Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Portfolios Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $635,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $564.33 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $533.07 and its 200 day moving average is $507.89. The company has a market capitalization of $517.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.63, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price objective (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

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.