Virtue Capital Management LLC Sells 717 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Virtue Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 32.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,524 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 717 shares during the period. Virtue Capital Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $802,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 79,739.7% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $818,962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,553,329 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 15.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,207,787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $617,303,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA traded up $1.44 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $577.36. 1,347,757 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,602,904. 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $542.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $538.84. The firm has a market cap of $526.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.31 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $630.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Macquarie decreased their price target on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $608.57.

Mastercard Profile

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.