Northern Financial Advisors Inc Trims Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Northern Financial Advisors Inc decreased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 9.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,307 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 230 shares during the period. Northern Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,215,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth about $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 24.1% in the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:MA opened at $566.02 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $533.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $508.28. The stock has a market cap of $519.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.98 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Mastercard declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase 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 buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Macquarie upped their target price on shares of 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 target on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.