Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is Candriam S.C.A.'s 7th Largest Position

Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 24.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 515,594 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 102,714 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.6% of Candriam S.C.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.06% of Mastercard worth $271,496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake in Mastercard by 483.3% in the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 70 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of MA traded down $2.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $546.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,161,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,646,326. The company's 50-day moving average is $545.15 and its 200-day moving average is $520.77. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $582.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $498.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.38, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

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Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn cut 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 objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four investment 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.11.

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.