Beacon Capital Management LLC Sells 57 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Beacon Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 12.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 414 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 57 shares during the quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Raelipskie Partnership grew its holdings in Mastercard by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA opened at $564.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $518.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.66, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $535.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $509.54.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.11.

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.