Norway Savings Bank Cuts Stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Norway Savings Bank lowered its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 854 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Norway Savings Bank’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 3,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,024,394.75. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 40,513 shares of company stock valued at $23,166,463 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Macquarie cut their target price on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given 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 Down 1.2%

Mastercard stock opened at $532.18 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $559.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $544.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $485.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.32, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.05.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.31 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

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.