Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Purchased by Smithfield Trust Co

Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,993 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the quarter. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,217,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $925,662,000 after acquiring an additional 241,297 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 39.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Mastercard by 2.3% during the third quarter. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,385 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $684,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 13.0% in the third quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Martin Investment Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 39,191 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $19,353,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $554.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $505.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $582.23. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $544.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $519.37.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective 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. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.11.

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.