OFI Invest Asset Management Makes New Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 119,365 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $60,699,000. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.4% of OFI Invest Asset Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Barings LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Barings LLC now owns 607 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 31,135 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $16,395,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,899,438 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,532,541,000 after purchasing an additional 565,717 shares in the last quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 19.7% during the fourth quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,315,000 after purchasing an additional 1,347 shares during the period. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE MA opened at $546.98 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $545.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $520.77. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $498.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.38, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program 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 repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company 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 is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on MA shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.