Brokerages Set Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) PT at $567.29

Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $595.64.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:MA opened at $555.63 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The company’s 50 day moving average is $528.28 and its 200-day moving average is $501.03. The firm has a market cap of $509.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard will post 14.47 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.00%.

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

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 11,968 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,302,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,701,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. SilverOak Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. Beirne Wealth Consulting Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Finally, Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $749,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Mastercard

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.