Fisher Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,174,204 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 56,714 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.45% of Mastercard worth $2,198,011,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maripau Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Terril Brothers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $264,000. Bank OZK raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank OZK now owns 9,574 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,041,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 4,014 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,114,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maple Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Maple Capital Management Inc. now owns 77,340 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,725,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on MA. UBS Group upped their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie upped their price target on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial upped their price target on Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $576.08 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $542.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $517.21. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94. The company has a market capitalization of $525.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.47, 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 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

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.