Ritholtz Wealth Management Boosts Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 7.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 19,387 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,383 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Mastercard were worth $10,626,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Addison Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,182,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $445,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 736 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $388,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Evercore ISI started coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Macquarie dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $610.00.

Mastercard Trading Down 4.7%

NYSE:MA traded down $27.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $561.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,902,461 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,616,055. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $555.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $543.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $594.71. The stock has a market cap of $511.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,394.75. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 46,686 shares of company stock valued at $26,430,428 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.