Castleark Management LLC Acquires 4,500 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Castleark Management LLC raised its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 135,269 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 2.5% of Castleark Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Castleark Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $71,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $6,022,224,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $837,017,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 79,739.7% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,555,277 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $818,962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,553,329 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Mastercard by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,149,181 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,817,684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207,787 shares during the period. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $617,303,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, 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 transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total value of $87,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 90 days, insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $580.67 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $538.11 and its 200-day moving average is $536.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $529.40 billion, a PE ratio of 41.80, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $588.45.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 price target (up previously from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $640.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.25.

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.