Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Position Lifted by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 213,276 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,765 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.0% of Xponance Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $112,305,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $56,735,000. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 3,576 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,880,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 121,319 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $63,883,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in Mastercard by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 140,257 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $73,922,000 after buying an additional 406 shares during the period. Finally, Custos Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $216,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $532.66 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $545.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $523.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $485.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.35, a PEG 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 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $582.23.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved 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 repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.