Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. Has $12.88 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. decreased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,465 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 775 shares during the quarter. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $12,883,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 483.3% during the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday. Macquarie raised their price objective on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $524.69 on Thursday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $582.23. The firm has a market cap of $478.36 billion, a PE ratio of 37.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $545.31 and a 200-day moving average of $522.05. 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 (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.