Golden State Wealth Management LLC Makes New $595,000 Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,129 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $595,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 120.0% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA opened at $562.55 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $531.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $504.29. The firm has a market cap of $516.33 billion, a PE ratio of 40.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus 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.