Wealth Alliance Purchases 94 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Wealth Alliance raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,652 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 94 shares during the quarter. Wealth Alliance’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,450,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $568.97 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $537.79 and its 200 day moving average is $512.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $576.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $522.22 billion, a PE ratio of 40.96, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board 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 buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.