Empower Advisory Group LLC Has $224.29 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 425,948 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,919 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 0.8% of Empower Advisory Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $224,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% during the third 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 bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on MA shares. Macquarie lifted their target price on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $564.77 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. 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 has a 50 day moving average of $535.49 and a 200-day moving average of $510.30. The firm has a market cap of $518.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) 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 anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.