CENTRAL TRUST Co Cuts Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

CENTRAL TRUST Co decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,574 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 842 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $20,595,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, 10Elms LLP bought a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 47,645 shares of company stock valued at $26,979,801 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $640.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. UBS Group upped their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Macquarie cut their price target on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $610.00.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA stock opened at $568.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $556.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $544.29. The stock has a market cap of $518.32 billion, a PE ratio of 40.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $594.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.31 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.