Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $153.66 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 280,340 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 9,896 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.5% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $153,660,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded down $31.00 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $538.45. 6,961,693 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,634,932. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $558.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $544.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The firm has a market cap of $490.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.05.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The company 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 posted $3.31 EPS. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total transaction of $85,417.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,394.75. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $588.18, for a total value of $5,545,361.04. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $34,379,709.18. The trade was a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 40,513 shares of company stock valued at $23,166,463. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $610.00.

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.