Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Lowers Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC trimmed its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 52,639 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 815 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 1.4% of Chesley Taft & Associates LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $28,852,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $83,644,000. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 841 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,033,810 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $544,373,000 after acquiring an additional 38,606 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One SA PTY Ltd increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd now owns 14,609 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $7,693,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock traded up $4.59 on Friday, reaching $590.03. The stock had a trading volume of 1,528,611 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,598,780. 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 Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $590.92. The stock has a market cap of $537.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $546.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $541.24.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.31 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,024,394.75. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 37,258 shares of company stock worth $20,885,067 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Macquarie dropped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $610.00.

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.