Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 65,631.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,213,123 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 0.8% of GAMMA Investing LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.90% of Mastercard worth $4,508,636,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard 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 owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was 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 owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE:MA traded down $2.99 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $578.23. 950,616 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,601,674. The stock's 50-day moving average is $544.56 and its 200-day moving average is $540.21. The firm has a market cap of $527.18 billion, a PE ratio of 41.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. 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.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.31 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Macquarie cut their target price on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Six equities research 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.