Alta Capital Management LLC Reduces Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Alta Capital Management LLC lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 10.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 102,828 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 11,669 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 3.7% of Alta Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Alta Capital Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $56,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,640,219,000 after buying an additional 377,302 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $11,725,627,000 after buying an additional 912,856 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $9,800,202,000 after buying an additional 282,739 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Mastercard by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,139,713,000 after purchasing an additional 817,836 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:MA traded down $6.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $532.18. 8,202,700 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,655,722. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $485.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.32, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50 day moving average is $559.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $544.51. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.31 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $588.18, for a total transaction of $5,545,361.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $34,379,709.18. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 40,513 shares of company stock worth $23,166,463 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on MA shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Macquarie decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $610.00.

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.