Lazard Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 290,605 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,961 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $153,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 79,739.7% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $818,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553,329 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Mastercard by 15.2% in the 4th 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. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $617,303,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $8.43 on Thursday, reaching $581.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,034,196 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,607,304. 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 $582.93. The company has a market capitalization of $530.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.88, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $533.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $534.45.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on MA. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $635.00 price objective (up previously from $591.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Mastercard from $572.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Macquarie dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.25.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total transaction of $87,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,887,900. The trade was a 4.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.