Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC Buys 105 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 19.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 639 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $350,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,594,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $83,644,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,108,000 after acquiring an additional 7,452 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 3,775 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,988,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,592 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,471,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Macquarie decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup raised their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Truist Financial started coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $640.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $610.00.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of MA stock opened at $568.52 on Tuesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $428.86 and a 1-year high of $594.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a market cap of $518.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.93, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $556.98 and a 200-day moving average of $544.29.

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

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,394.75. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,645 shares of company stock worth $26,979,801. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.