Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. Sells 65 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. decreased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,521 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 65 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 0.6% of Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 5,503 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,897,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Oak Harvest Investment Services boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Oak Harvest Investment Services now owns 5,830 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,070,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,249 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,290,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Hixon Zuercher LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Hixon Zuercher LLC now owns 13,137 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,918,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 154,994 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,257,000 after buying an additional 16,527 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of 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 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $576.94. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $526.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $499.80. The stock has a market cap of $518.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.72, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a stock buyback 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 buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Mizuho raised their price target on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $567.29.

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.