Cypress Capital Group Decreases Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cypress Capital Group lessened its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,152 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 755 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.2% of Cypress Capital Group's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Cypress Capital Group's holdings in Mastercard were worth $10,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% during the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 88 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $3.74 on Wednesday, hitting $558.81. The company had a trading volume of 2,795,351 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,622,472. The stock has a market capitalization of $509.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $582.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $544.58 and a 200-day moving average of $519.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in 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 typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Macquarie raised their price objective on Mastercard from $565.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $606.11.

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.