M&T Bank Corp Reduces Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

M&T Bank Corp lessened its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 430,401 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 12,028 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.8% of M&T Bank Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $226,636,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,874,568 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $925,662,000 after purchasing an additional 241,297 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 39.6% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,385 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $641,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Martin Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 39,191 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $19,353,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 3.5 %

NYSE MA opened at $554.88 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $544.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $519.37. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $582.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a market cap of $505.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.95, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to buyback $12.00 billion in 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 typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MA. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $635.00 price objective (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.