Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 23,980 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 245 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 2.1% of Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,144,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Augustine Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $946,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Founders Financial Alliance LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $445,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 3,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,024,394.75. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders have sold a total of 37,258 shares of company stock valued at $20,885,067 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $589.64 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $549.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $542.89. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $591.16. The firm has a market cap of $537.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.45, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. 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 (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.31 EPS. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $610.00.

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.