Elefante Mark B Invests $5.11 Million in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Elefante Mark B acquired a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 9,703 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,109,000. Mastercard comprises approximately 4.7% of Elefante Mark B's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 79,739.7% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $818,962,000 after buying an additional 1,553,329 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Mastercard by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,817,684,000 after buying an additional 1,207,787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $617,303,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on MA shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.25.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total value of $87,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,887,900. This represents a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA traded up $9.69 during trading on Monday, hitting $578.33. 3,000,294 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,610,298. The firm has a market capitalization of $527.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.64, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $582.23. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $532.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $533.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.31 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

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.