4J Wealth Management LLC Has $1.47 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

4J Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,799 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 97 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up approximately 1.2% of 4J Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. 4J Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,474,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price objective (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $595.64.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $555.63 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $509.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.03, a PEG ratio of 2.17 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $528.28 and a 200-day moving average of $501.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

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 return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current year.

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

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

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.