Stableford Capital II LLC Has $2.85 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Stableford Capital II LLC cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,414 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 90 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 1.1% of Stableford Capital II LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Stableford Capital II LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,851,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $555.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $509.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $528.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $501.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued 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 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan 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 plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on MA. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group upped their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has 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 target price of $595.64.

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.