AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Increases Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 902.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 270,806 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 243,794 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $142,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Campbell Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Campbell Wealth Management now owns 868 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $457,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $1,434,000. Pictet North America Advisors SA increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 15,823 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,332,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 920,984 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $484,963,000 after purchasing an additional 5,455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 16,523 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,701,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $564.77 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $518.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $576.94. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $534.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $508.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.