Strengthening Families & Communities LLC Grows Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,345 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 413 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 2.5% of Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 24.1% in the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $565.51 on Tuesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $576.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The business has a 50 day moving average of $531.61 and a 200 day moving average of $506.04. The company has a market capitalization of $519.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.71, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are 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.