Ninety One SA PTY Ltd Raises Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Ninety One SA PTY Ltd increased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,609 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 1.7% of Ninety One SA PTY Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $7,693,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 24.1% during the 4th quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE MA opened at $559.21 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $513.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.26, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $529.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $502.60. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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 typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.