Chung Wu Investment Group LLC Purchases New Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,220 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,169,000. Mastercard makes up about 1.2% of Chung Wu Investment Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 14.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $925,662,000 after buying an additional 241,297 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 39.6% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. United Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 68.8% in the 3rd quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 854 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $422,000 after buying an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $231,000. Finally, Tobias Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $200,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $558.81 on Thursday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $582.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $509.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.23, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $544.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $519.64.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued 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 presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MA shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank upgraded shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.11.

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.