Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Forte Capital LLC ADV

Forte Capital LLC ADV lessened its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 45,080 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,043 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 2.7% of Forte Capital LLC ADV's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Forte Capital LLC ADV's holdings in Mastercard were worth $23,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dash Acquisitions Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. now owns 46,308 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $25,347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,676 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 7,931 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,176,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Hardy Reed LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 5,015 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,641,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $606,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 662,219 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $348,705,000 after acquiring an additional 35,208 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.11.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded down $5.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $557.44. 2,256,092 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,585,452. The stock has a market capitalization of $511.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $538.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $512.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $576.94.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign 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.