Probity Advisors Inc. Buys New Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Probity Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 440 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MA. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price objective (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price objective for the company. Six 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $608.57.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.0%

Mastercard stock traded up $5.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $583.27. The stock had a trading volume of 4,581,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,615,375. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $543.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $539.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $531.77 billion, a PE ratio of 41.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $588.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the firm'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 directly owns 3,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,887,900. This represents a 4.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.