Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Fortis Group Advisors LLC

Fortis Group Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,543 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 112 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% in the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $55,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $564.77 on Tuesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $518.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $535.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $510.30.

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 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MA shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie lifted their price target on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on 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 cut Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.