QRG Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

QRG Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 14.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 114,546 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 19,986 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 0.7% of QRG Capital Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $62,785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.5% during 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 purchasing an additional 377,302 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 912,856 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $9,800,202,000 after buying an additional 282,739 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,139,713,000 after acquiring an additional 817,836 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA stock traded up $6.49 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $568.52. The company had a trading volume of 3,107,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,618,017. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $555.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $544.04. The firm has a market cap of $518.32 billion, a PE ratio of 40.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $594.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.31 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,024,394.75. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 47,645 shares of company stock valued at $26,979,801. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Seven 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus 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.