Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. Acquires 45 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,430 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.7% of Lifestyle Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,280,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Mastercard during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $584.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $572.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective (up previously from $565.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $533.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $489.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. 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 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $537.70. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $524.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $496.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.39 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 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 is presently 23.00%.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.