B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Sells 2,863 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,087 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,863 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MA. Armis Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $420,000. Instrumental Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 3,530 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,859,000 after buying an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $10,337,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6%

MA stock traded up $3.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $581.12. 843,608 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,599,053. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $529.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $543.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $539.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $588.45.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,887,900. This represents a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $608.57.

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.