Quent Capital LLC Has $2.32 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 22.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,396 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the quarter. Quent Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Wealthcare Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $338,000. Sovran Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $1,125,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 8,345 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,394,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. Compound Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $369,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,659,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $564.79 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $518.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $576.94. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $532.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $507.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly 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 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback 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 repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Macquarie upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 price target (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

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.