Parallel Advisors LLC Trims Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Parallel Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 41,523 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 655 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.5% of Parallel Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Parallel Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $22,759,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. grew its stake in Mastercard by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 475 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Mastercard by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $946,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,182,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Mastercard from $630.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Mastercard from $654.00 to $644.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $608.57.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $1,887,900. The trade was a 4.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA opened at $577.36 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $543.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $539.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $526.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.57, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $588.45. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.