Heck Capital Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 1,018 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,018 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $536,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Czech National Bank increased its stake in Mastercard by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 167,963 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $82,940,000 after purchasing an additional 11,513 shares in the last quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 0.3% in the third quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,316 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,106,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Great Waters Wealth Management acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at $203,000. waypoint wealth counsel purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, Orser Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Orser Capital Management LLC now owns 8,419 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,157,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MA. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Mizuho upped their target price 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. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $603.08.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $6.94 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $566.05. The company had a trading volume of 2,404,666 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,853,573. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $529.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $503.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $576.94. The company has a market capitalization of $519.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.75, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 16.04 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors 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 positive change from Mastercard's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan 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 buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.