General Partner Inc. Sells 700 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

General Partner Inc. cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,353 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 700 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 3.6% of General Partner Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. General Partner Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,978,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NRI Wealth Management LC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,284,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 12,514 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,589,000 after acquiring an additional 2,001 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Mastercard by 38.3% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,238 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Old Port Advisors raised its holdings in Mastercard by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 1,681 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $885,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 5.0% during the third quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 655 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $3.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $518.76. 333,129 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,554,173. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $523.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $488.98. The firm has a market cap of $476.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $416.53 and a 52-week high of $537.70.

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

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MA shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. 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 report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $562.76.

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.