Insider Selling: Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Insider Sells 959 Shares of Stock

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 25,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $568.52 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $556.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $544.29. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $594.71. The company has a market capitalization of $518.32 billion, a PE ratio of 40.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI started coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Macquarie decreased their price target on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $610.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 42.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,594,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $83,644,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $37,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,452 shares during the period. Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, American Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.