Northstar Financial Companies Inc. Makes New $1.37 Million Investment in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,599 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,369,000. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.3% of Northstar Financial Companies Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $40,640,219,000 after buying an additional 377,302 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $11,725,627,000 after acquiring an additional 912,856 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $9,800,202,000 after acquiring an additional 282,739 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,139,713,000 after purchasing an additional 817,836 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA traded up $5.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $583.27. 4,581,021 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, 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 company has a market cap 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $543.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $539.17.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.31 earnings per share. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 3,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,887,900. This trade represents a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $608.57.

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.