Davis R M Inc. Sells 237 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Davis R M Inc. lowered its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,001 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 237 shares during the period. Davis R M Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,580,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 88 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $526.11 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $545.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $522.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $479.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.88, a P/E/G 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a share buyback 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on MA. Macquarie upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 target price (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.