Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Peloton Wealth Strategists

Peloton Wealth Strategists cut its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,742 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 170 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 3.6% of Peloton Wealth Strategists’ holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Peloton Wealth Strategists’ holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,816,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Linscomb Wealth Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 16,868 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,882,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 134,532 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $70,841,000 after buying an additional 6,753 shares during the period. Brueske Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $306,000. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd boosted its stake in Mastercard by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd now owns 10,920 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,750,000 after acquiring an additional 2,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crown Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 787 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $414,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $564.91 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $576.94. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $541.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $516.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $515.03 billion, a PE ratio of 40.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MA. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Macquarie increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus 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.