Centre Asset Management LLC Acquires Shares of 6,450 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 6,450 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,535,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.0%

MA traded up $5.49 during trading on Friday, reaching $583.27. 4,581,021 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,615,375. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $543.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $539.54. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $588.45. The stock has a market cap of $531.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. Mastercard's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.31 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MA. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $608.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,024,394.75. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Mastercard Company 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.