Stewardship Advisors LLC Buys 107 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Stewardship Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 956 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Stewardship Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter worth about $34,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 74.0% during the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA opened at $533.50 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $524.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $497.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $537.70. The stock has a market cap of $489.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

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

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback 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 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 stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 23.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MA. Citigroup raised their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $584.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Mizuho lifted 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Macquarie raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $567.29.

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.