Westwind Capital Sells 424 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Westwind Capital lowered its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,754 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 424 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 7.9% of Westwind Capital’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Westwind Capital’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $36,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at about $35,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 74.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $512.28. 1,294,144 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,133,748. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $523.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $490.70. The stock has a market cap of $470.19 billion, a PE ratio of 38.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $416.53 and a 12 month high of $537.70.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.47 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, December 17th that allows the company to repurchase $12.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Mastercard from $580.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Mastercard from $480.00 to $509.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $562.76.

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.