Stableford Capital II LLC Sells 90 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Stableford Capital II LLC lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,414 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 90 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 1.1% of Stableford Capital II LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Stableford Capital II LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,851,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 24.1% in the 4th quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $595.64.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE MA opened at $555.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $509.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $528.28 and a 200-day moving average of $501.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released 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 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management 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.