Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. Cuts Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. reduced its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 21.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,712 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,121 shares during the period. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,061,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,651,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Augustine Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $946,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,182,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $618.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.25.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:MA opened at $580.67 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $588.45. The firm has a market cap of $529.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The company’s 50 day moving average is $538.11 and its 200-day moving average is $536.73.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.31 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 $1,887,900. This trade represents a 4.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.