Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by Oakworth Capital Inc.

Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,327 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,225,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Mizuho increased their target price on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $603.08.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $566.05 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $530.33 and a 200-day moving average of $503.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $519.53 billion, a PE ratio of 40.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

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

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

Mastercard Profile

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.