Cullen Investment Group LTD. Sells 1,066 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cullen Investment Group LTD. lessened its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 12.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,566 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,066 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,147,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Addison Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,651,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $946,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,182,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of Mastercard 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,887,900. The trade was a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA traded down $8.56 during trading on Monday, reaching $577.04. 847,108 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,603,069. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $588.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $526.10 billion, a PE ratio of 41.53, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company's 50 day moving average is $543.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $539.80.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the business earned $3.31 earnings per share. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on MA shares. DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $609.66.

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.