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

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 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 makes up 5.0% of Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of MA stock traded up $10.45 on Tuesday, hitting $574.03. The stock had a trading volume of 2,655,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,611,798. 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 Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $588.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $540.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $538.34. The firm has a market cap of $523.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.33, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 3,255 shares in the company, valued at $1,887,900. This represents a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, 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 three months, insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 target price (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $607.86.

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.