Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Has $7.62 Million Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,471 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 157 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $7,620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 51.6% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,954 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,006 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 81,351 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $42,837,000 after acquiring an additional 733 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 165,401 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $87,095,000 after purchasing an additional 36,450 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 7,993 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,217,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $554.88 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $544.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $519.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $505.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.95, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

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

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MA. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays upped their price target on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Macquarie boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna upped their price target on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.