Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Increases Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 536,367 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 108,242 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 1.1% of Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $282,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. FourThought Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 11,155 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,874,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Capital Management Inc. now owns 470 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $247,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC now owns 3,193 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,681,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $576,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $558.44 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $539.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $514.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $509.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.20, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

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 issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $635.00 target price (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.