Guided Capital Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Guided Capital Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 388 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.2% of Guided Capital Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% during the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DZ Bank upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho upped their target price on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upped their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $564.79 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.66, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $532.30 and its 200-day moving average is $507.00. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors 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 yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

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

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.