Heartland Bank & Trust Co Decreases Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Heartland Bank & Trust Co lessened its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,025 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 148 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 1.4% of Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 74.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:MA opened at $533.50 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $537.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $524.77 and a 200-day moving average of $497.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market cap of $489.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.36, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.39 EPS. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 23.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MA. Mizuho lifted their target price on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $575.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $584.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $567.29.

About Mastercard

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.