New Republic Capital LLC Trims Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

New Republic Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,512 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 88 shares during the period. New Republic Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Mastercard Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $565.51 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $531.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $506.04. 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 $519.05 billion, a PE ratio of 40.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current year.

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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Macquarie raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $603.08.

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.