Gables Capital Management Inc. Sells 50 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Gables Capital Management Inc. lessened its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,929 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 1.5% of Gables Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Gables Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Donaldson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 19,671 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,358,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Miller Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $892,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 48,100 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $25,328,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 165,203 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $86,991,000 after acquiring an additional 9,923 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MA. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $584.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $535.80 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $545.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $521.61. 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 Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The company has a market cap of $488.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.57, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.