Cohen Capital Management Inc. Sells 45 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cohen Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,366 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 45 shares during the period. Cohen Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB lifted its position in Mastercard by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $925,662,000 after buying an additional 241,297 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the third quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 12,695 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,269,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its holdings in Mastercard by 4.1% during the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,038 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,006,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Tarbox Family Office Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 23.6% during the third quarter. Tarbox Family Office Inc. now owns 1,705 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $842,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 2.4% during the third quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 1,496 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $557.44 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $538.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $513.78. The firm has a market cap of $508.22 billion, a PE ratio of 40.13, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.