Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Buys 16,527 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 154,994 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,527 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 1.1% of Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $81,257,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MA. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $580,000. Sage Financial Management Group Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $212,000. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 10,691 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,630,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Finally, Busey Bank grew its position in Mastercard by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 89,232 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $46,987,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of MA opened at $564.81 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $526.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $499.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy 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 stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.54%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $572.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $575.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $576.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $567.29.

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.