Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Has $86.79 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 164,829 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,238 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.2% of Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $86,794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Mastercard by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 239,800 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $126,271,000 after acquiring an additional 1,755 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 14,471 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,620,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 51.6% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,954 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,555,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in Mastercard by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 81,351 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $42,837,000 after acquiring an additional 733 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 165,401 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $87,095,000 after acquiring an additional 36,450 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 price objective (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $558.81 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $544.58 and a 200-day moving average of $519.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 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 $582.23. The firm has a market cap of $509.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.23, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.