Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Portfolio Design Labs LLC

Portfolio Design Labs LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 36.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,792 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 1.1% of Portfolio Design Labs LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Portfolio Design Labs LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,450,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on MA. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $564.79 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $576.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $532.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $507.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

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.