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

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on MA. Citigroup boosted their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $633.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $640.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday. Seven 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $610.00.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.8%

MA traded up $4.59 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $590.03. 1,528,611 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,601,629. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company's fifty day moving average price is $547.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $541.73. The company has a market cap of $537.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $591.16.

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

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 37,258 shares of company stock valued at $20,885,067. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mastercard

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,594,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $83,644,000. Insight Advisors LLC PA increased its stake in Mastercard by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Insight Advisors LLC PA now owns 795 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $418,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $219,000. Finally, Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp increased its stake in Mastercard by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp now owns 1,457 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $767,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

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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