BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC Buys 19 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 846 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $532.66 on Tuesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $582.23. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $545.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $523.50. The company has a market capitalization of $485.63 billion, a PE ratio of 38.35, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.