Sunbelt Securities Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Sunbelt Securities Inc. lowered its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 33.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,480 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,185 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Mastercard Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:MA opened at $569.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $519.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $588.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $539.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $537.40.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.31 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were 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 directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $640.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.25.

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.