Sterling Investment Counsel LLC Buys 649 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 55.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,817 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 649 shares during the quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC now owns 6,595 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,615,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $54,000. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 2.7% in the first quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,708 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,580,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. MGO Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $208,000. Finally, Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 4.9% in the first quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 470 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock opened at $538.45 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The company has a market capitalization of $490.91 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $594.71. The business's fifty day moving average price is $558.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $544.42.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued 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. 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 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.31 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MA shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Macquarie dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Seven 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $610.00.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,024,394.75. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,513 shares of company stock valued at $23,166,463. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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