Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC Grows Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 62.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 228 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 2.1 %

MA stock opened at $505.52 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $463.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.24, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50-day moving average is $524.09 and its 200 day moving average is $491.78. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $425.48 and a 12-month high of $537.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.39 earnings per share. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management 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 issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $566.00 to $572.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $562.76.

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.