Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on MA. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Macquarie reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $610.00.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $27.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $561.50. 5,902,461 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,614,237. The company's 50-day moving average is $555.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $543.88. 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 company has a market capitalization of $511.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.42, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $594.71.

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

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 46,686 shares of company stock worth $26,430,428. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Mastercard

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. 1248 Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $282,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 14.9% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 386 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $211,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 26.9% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,331 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,278,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the period. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $304,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $321,342,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Company 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.