Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Holdings Increased by Smith Salley Wealth Management

Smith Salley Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 49,076 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 928 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 1.7% of Smith Salley Wealth Management's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Smith Salley Wealth Management's holdings in Mastercard were worth $25,842,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Goldstein Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.3% during the third quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $749,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 2,190 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,081,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,398 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $690,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Boltwood Capital Management increased its stake in Mastercard by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,055 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,082,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Traveka Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,478 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded up $2.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $525.22. 2,373,992 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,205,146. The stock has a market capitalization of $482.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $427.45 and a 12 month high of $537.70. The company has a 50 day moving average of $524.28 and a 200-day moving average of $494.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business's revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.39 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.46 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase 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 purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Seaport Res Ptn cut Mastercard from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Mastercard from $591.00 to $588.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp increased their target price on Mastercard from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.