Lmcg Investments LLC Sells 886 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Lmcg Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,612 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 886 shares during the quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $12,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 74.0% during the third 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, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the third quarter worth $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Mastercard from $564.00 to $654.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $566.63.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE MA traded up $3.14 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $527.84. 2,706,615 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,651,943. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $537.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $524.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $495.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $484.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 178.27%. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.39 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is an increase from Mastercard's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard's payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

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.