Avantra Family Wealth Inc. Buys Shares of 861 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Avantra Family Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 861 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $453,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $25,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased 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 worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn cut Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $5.08 on Wednesday, hitting $564.19. 1,353,025 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,804,542. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm's 50-day moving average is $529.65 and its 200 day moving average is $503.41. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $576.94. The stock has a market cap of $517.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.61, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. This is a boost from Mastercard's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard's payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.