Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases 4,434 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 26.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,207 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,434 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Goldstein Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 0.9% during the third quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 2,190 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.5% during the third quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,398 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Boltwood Capital Management grew its position in Mastercard by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,082,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Traveka Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,478 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $778,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock traded up $2.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $525.22. 2,373,992 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,205,146. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $524.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $494.24. 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 twelve month low of $427.45 and a twelve month high of $537.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $482.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.39 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is a positive change from Mastercard's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 19.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho increased their price objective on Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen upped their target price on Mastercard from $533.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie lifted their price target on Mastercard from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Four research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $566.63.

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.