DeDora Capital Inc. Grows Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

DeDora Capital Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,462 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. DeDora Capital Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bollard Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the third quarter worth about $38,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $3.62 on Thursday, hitting $481.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,207,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,443,068. The firm has a market cap of $449.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $464.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $426.46. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $355.82 and a one year high of $490.00.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 191.22% and a net margin of 44.60%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase $11.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,672,828.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 7,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.92, for a total value of $3,736,447.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,672,828.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.25, for a total value of $97,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,543,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,527,976,823. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,628 shares of company stock valued at $23,309,067 in the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MA. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $425.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $479.62.

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.