Wesleyan Assurance Society Has $16.28 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Wesleyan Assurance Society increased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 25.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,880 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,180 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 1.2% of Wesleyan Assurance Society’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Wesleyan Assurance Society’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $16,279,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,796 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $946,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $215,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its position in Mastercard by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 10,329 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,439,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the period. Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,244,000. Finally, Hall Laurie J Trustee increased its holdings in Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 14,737 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,760,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard 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 directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This trade represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie dropped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.25.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:MA opened at $585.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $533.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.14, a PEG 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 price is $536.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $536.43. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $588.45.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results 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. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.