Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC Sells 37 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,298 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 37 shares during the quarter. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter worth $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $575.00 price objective (up previously from $565.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, November 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Macquarie boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $525.22 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $524.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $494.24. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $427.45 and a 52 week high of $537.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The company has a market cap of $482.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.39 EPS. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 19.97%.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in 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 typically a sign that the company’s management 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.