Fire Capital Management LLC Buys Shares of 1,014 Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Fire Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,014 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $534,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MA. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $640.00 price objective (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. DZ Bank upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $620.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group raised their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $608.57.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total value of $87,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,887,900. This represents 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:MA traded up $5.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $583.27. 4,581,021 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,615,372. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $531.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.99, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's 50 day moving average is $543.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $539.54.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.31 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

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.