Prudent Man Advisors LLC Sells 150 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Prudent Man Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,534 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 150 shares during the quarter. Prudent Man Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,334,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MA. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 88 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 2.0 %

MA opened at $576.08 on Friday. 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 Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94. The stock has a market cap of $525.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.47, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average of $542.83 and a 200-day moving average of $517.21.

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

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on MA. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Macquarie raised their price target on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

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.