Generali Investments Management Co LLC Invests $1.40 Million in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 2,658 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,400,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 14.8% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $925,662,000 after purchasing an additional 241,297 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,031,915 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,497,160,000 after purchasing an additional 138,842 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 42.8% in the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 938 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% in the third quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,227 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,050,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, St. Louis Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth approximately $202,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $530.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $546.16 and a 200 day moving average of $523.83. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $483.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.17, a PEG 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 (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. As a group, research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.