Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. Sells 95 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. lessened its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 12,184 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 95 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.3% of Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,197,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,160,487 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $494,982,000 after purchasing an additional 35,337 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $459,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,452 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,429,000 after buying an additional 3,306 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 4,196 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,790,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,788 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,616,000 after acquiring an additional 849 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 104,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.25, for a total value of $47,138,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 94,652,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,901,158,601. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 104,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.25, for a total transaction of $47,138,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 94,652,308 shares in the company, valued at $42,901,158,601. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.23, for a total transaction of $134,169.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,817,095.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,785,580 shares of company stock valued at $812,239,407. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $451.18. 2,162,182 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,475,665. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $357.85 and a 52-week high of $490.00. The company has a market capitalization of $419.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $464.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $445.79.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.09. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.09% and a return on equity of 183.70%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MA. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $510.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $536.00 to $524.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $497.78.

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.