Augustine Asset Management Inc. Has $946,000 Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Augustine Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $946,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 4,396 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,315,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $338,000. Sovran Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,125,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 8,345 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,394,000 after buying an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compound Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $369,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $564.79 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $518.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $532.30 and its 200-day moving average is $507.00. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MA. Citigroup lifted their target price on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Mizuho raised their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Company 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.