Wealthquest Corp Purchases 22 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Wealthquest Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 655 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Wealthquest Corp’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $345,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.4 %

MA opened at $525.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $482.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.73, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average of $524.28 and a 200-day moving average of $494.92. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $427.45 and a 52 week high of $537.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.39 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a stock 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $566.63.

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.