Violich Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Violich Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 155.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,043 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,508 shares during the period. Violich Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Trail Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 18,201 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,584,000 after buying an additional 1,863 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 97,359 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $51,266,000 after purchasing an additional 4,012 shares during the last quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 440 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Panoramic Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $260,000. Finally, Golden Road Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $205,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 target price (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup upped their price objective on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of MA opened at $565.51 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $519.05 billion, a PE ratio of 40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s fifty day moving average is $531.61 and its 200 day moving average is $506.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

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.