Atria Investments Inc Raises Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 81,351 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 733 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 0.5% of Atria Investments Inc's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Atria Investments Inc's holdings in Mastercard were worth $42,837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MA. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 165,401 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $87,095,000 after acquiring an additional 36,450 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 7,993 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,217,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Souders Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $426,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,017,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Price Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $3.74 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $558.81. The stock had a trading volume of 2,795,351 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,622,472. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $509.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.23, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock's fifty day moving average is $544.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $519.64. 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 (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. As a group, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.89%.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. DZ Bank upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price target (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.11.

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.