Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 57,923 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $30,501,000. Mastercard comprises about 5.0% of Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Whalerock Point Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 14,678 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $7,729,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Dock Street Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Dock Street Asset Management Inc. now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $35,932,000 after buying an additional 2,931 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 71,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $37,841,000 after buying an additional 1,194 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 5,612 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,955,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baldwin Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC now owns 1,731 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $911,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MA. Barclays increased their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $630.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $608.57.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock traded up $1.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $575.60. 1,701,113 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,608,170. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $588.45. The firm has a market cap of $524.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $541.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $538.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.