Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Brookstone Capital Management

Brookstone Capital Management cut its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,046 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 344 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MA. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $575.00 price objective (up previously from $565.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $572.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $566.63.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $508.49 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $425.48 and a 52 week high of $537.70. The company’s 50 day moving average is $524.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $493.23. The company has a market cap of $466.71 billion, a PE ratio of 38.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.39 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

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

Mastercard Company 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.