Private Trust Co. NA Sells 1,280 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Private Trust Co. NA trimmed its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 11.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,826 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,280 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.5% of Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,174,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 483.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Macquarie upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $564.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $515.03 billion, a PE ratio of 40.67, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $576.94. The business’s 50 day moving average is $541.87 and its 200-day moving average is $516.37.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are 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.