World Equity Group Inc. Invests $362,000 in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

World Equity Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 688 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $362,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its stake in Mastercard by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 180,139 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $94,856,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,602 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,583,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 71.5% during the 4th quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 2,903 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after acquiring an additional 1,210 shares during the last quarter. DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co raised its stake in Mastercard by 68.4% during the 4th quarter. DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co now owns 1,928 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,574 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,462,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $557.44 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $538.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $514.23. The stock has a market cap of $508.22 billion, a PE ratio of 40.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 target price (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

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.