Trust Point Inc. Acquires 452 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Trust Point Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 6,663 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 452 shares during the quarter. Trust Point Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 24.1% during the 4th quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price objective (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday. Macquarie lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $598.60.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $564.48 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $528.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $501.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $576.94. The firm has a market cap of $518.10 billion, a PE ratio of 40.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

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

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.