Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Acquired by Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC

Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 459 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter worth $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Up 2.9 %

NYSE:MA opened at $564.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $576.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $527.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $500.25.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced 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 return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 23.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Mastercard from $575.00 to $591.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup raised their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $584.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $567.29.

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.