Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.’s 5th Largest Position

Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. cut its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 33.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 794,248 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 390,833 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 4.9% of Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Mastercard worth $406,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 74.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA opened at $547.61 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $551.55. The stock has a market cap of $502.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $525.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $499.45. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. Mastercard’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.39 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 23.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, November 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Macquarie increased their price target 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $567.29.

Mastercard 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.