Securian Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,056 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,576 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 0.7% of Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $23,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 483.3% during the 4th 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MA. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $635.00 price objective (up from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.11.

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Mastercard Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $526.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $545.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $522.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $479.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $582.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The credit services provider reported $3.82 earnings per share 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 analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 17th that permits the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.

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