Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. Increases Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. increased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 15.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,992 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,304 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.4% of Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $445,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 736 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on MA shares. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $640.00 target price on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $610.00.

Mastercard Stock Down 5.4%

MA stock traded down $31.00 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $538.45. The company had a trading volume of 6,961,693 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,634,932. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $558.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $544.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $490.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.31 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,630,844.40. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total transaction of $85,417.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,555 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,394.75. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 40,513 shares of company stock valued at $23,166,463. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.