Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 59.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,357 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 19.7% during the fourth quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 5,709 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,006,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $311,000. Keystone Financial Services purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $210,000. Finally, Monument Capital Management boosted its stake in Mastercard by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 1,941 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,022,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MA. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.3 %

MA stock opened at $564.77 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94. The company’s 50 day moving average is $535.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $509.98. The stock has a market cap of $518.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign 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.