Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Trims Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC trimmed its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 24,981 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,717 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,154,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $273,000. Fermata Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 694 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 43.6% during the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 36,140 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $17,839,000 after purchasing an additional 10,969 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 23,964 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,833,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network raised its position in Mastercard by 25.1% in the third quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 3,823 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,888,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MA. Citigroup raised their price target on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $562.55 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $576.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $516.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $531.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $505.09.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

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

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire 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 shares are 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.