Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Matthew 25 Management Corp

Matthew 25 Management Corp trimmed its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 35.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,500 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,500 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 1.1% of Matthew 25 Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Matthew 25 Management Corp’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 483.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on MA. 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. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA opened at $557.44 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The stock has a market cap of $508.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.13, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average of $538.98 and a 200-day moving average of $513.78. 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 (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is 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.