RFG Advisory LLC Has $6.74 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,802 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 902 shares during the quarter. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $6,741,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth about $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during 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. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $533.77 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $524.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $496.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $537.70. The firm has a market cap of $489.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.38, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.39 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $567.29.

Mastercard Company 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.