Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,796 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $946,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 74.0% during the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA traded up $2.55 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $514.48. The stock had a trading volume of 764,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,027,347. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $523.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $490.70. The company has a market cap of $472.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $416.53 and a 52-week high of $537.70. 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 (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 178.27% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, December 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $12.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $545.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $510.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Mastercard from $593.00 to $580.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $562.76.

Mastercard 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.