Whalen Wealth Management Inc. Buys 2,216 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Whalen Wealth Management increased its Mastercard stake by 262.6%, buying 2,216 shares to own 3,060 shares worth $1.747 million, about 0.9% of its portfolio and its 21st largest holding.
• Mastercard beat quarterly EPS estimates ($4.76 vs. $4.24) with revenue of $8.81B, reporting a 45.65% net margin, 203.92% ROE and revenue up 17.5% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 (annualized $3.48, ~0.7% yield; ex-dividend April 9, payable May 8) and carries a consensus analyst rating of Buy with an average price target of $664.40.

Whalen Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 262.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,060 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,216 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 0.9% of Whalen Wealth Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Whalen Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Robbins Farley grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Tacita Capital Inc increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% during the third quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Sagard Holdings Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $493.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $440.15 billion, a PE ratio of 29.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $516.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $544.97. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $465.59 and a one year high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.52. The firm had revenue of $8.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.80 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.65% and a return on equity of 203.92%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.82 EPS. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is currently 21.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Daiwa Securities Group set a $610.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $685.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $678.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $685.00 to $655.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Macquarie Infrastructure lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $664.40.

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.

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