MGB Wealth Management LLC Acquires Shares of 515 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

MGB Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 515 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $271,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Creative Planning lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 205,594 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $101,523,000 after purchasing an additional 11,331 shares during the period. Zhang Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.2% in the third quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $810,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Swedbank AB boosted its position in Mastercard by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $925,662,000 after acquiring an additional 241,297 shares in the last quarter. Prospect Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $349,000. Finally, Petredis Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Petredis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,719 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,305,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:MA opened at $564.33 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $533.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $507.89. The company has a market cap of $517.96 billion, a PE ratio of 40.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. 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 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $635.00 price objective (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

Mastercard 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.