Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Sells 94 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC decreased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 16.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 463 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 94 shares during the quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% during the third quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $559.21 on Wednesday. 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’s fifty day moving average is $529.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $502.60. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94. The company has a market capitalization of $513.26 billion, a PE ratio of 40.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program 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 buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically 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.