Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Holdings Lessened by Lincoln Capital LLC

Lincoln Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 62,844 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 909 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 7.0% of Lincoln Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Lincoln Capital LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $33,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the third quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 2,805,554 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,385,383,000 after acquiring an additional 62,891 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Mastercard by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,510,756 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,325,353,000 after purchasing an additional 337,905 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its stake in Mastercard by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 368,690 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $194,141,000 after buying an additional 9,611 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.7% in the third quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 831,942 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $410,813,000 after buying an additional 37,486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Mastercard by 2.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,010,430 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,474,151,000 after buying an additional 100,550 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $2.08 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $525.22. 2,373,992 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,205,146. The company has a market cap of $482.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.73, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $524.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $494.92. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $427.45 and a 52-week high of $537.70.

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, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.39 earnings per share. Mastercard's revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase from Mastercard's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $572.00 to $584.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $566.63.

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.