Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Position Lessened by MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC

MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,186 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 105 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 2.4% of MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,731,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Capital Advisors Inc. OK grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 1,400 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $737,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co boosted its position in Mastercard by 28.2% during the 4th quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 2,589 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,363,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Sather Financial Group Inc boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Sather Financial Group Inc now owns 97,902 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $51,552,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guided Capital Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $204,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $603.08.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $564.79 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $518.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $532.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $507.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.