Bailard Inc. Has $2.15 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,074 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 154 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 9,112 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,789,000 after acquiring an additional 1,454 shares in the last quarter. Maia Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 6,898 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,778,000 after acquiring an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 3,544 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,866,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Hickory Point Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $321,000. Finally, Purkiss Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $714,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $576.08 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $576.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $542.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $518.02. The company has a market capitalization of $525.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.47, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share 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 anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan 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 buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MA. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given 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 an average price target of $606.11.

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.