Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC Cuts Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,374 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 39 shares during the period. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $724,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 24.1% during 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 period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on MA. KeyCorp raised their price target on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Macquarie raised their price target on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price target (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.11.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6 %

Mastercard stock opened at $567.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $576.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $521.24 billion, a PE ratio of 40.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s fifty day moving average is $537.10 and its 200 day moving average is $511.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.71 by $0.11. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given 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 dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

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