Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. Has $35.66 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 67,719 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 824 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 3.0% of Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $35,659,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership raised its position in Mastercard by 120.0% during the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $567.12 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $530.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $503.85. The company has a market capitalization of $520.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.