Rockland Trust Co. Lowers Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Rockland Trust Co. reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,259 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,093 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 1.7% of Rockland Trust Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Rockland Trust Co.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $33,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $6,022,224,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 65,631.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,225,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,508,636,000 after buying an additional 8,213,123 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 79,739.7% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $818,962,000 after buying an additional 1,553,329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,817,684,000 after buying an additional 1,207,787 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA traded down $27.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $561.50. The stock had a trading volume of 5,902,461 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,614,345. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $553.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $543.65. The firm has a market cap of $511.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.42, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,555 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,394.75. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 37,258 shares of company stock valued at $20,885,067 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.