PFG Investments LLC Reduces Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

PFG Investments LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.2% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 8,072 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 444 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Addison Advisors LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Founders Financial Alliance LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $445,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 736 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $588.18, for a total value of $5,545,361.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,379,709.18. The trade was a 13.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 40,513 shares of company stock valued at $23,166,463 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Macquarie lowered their target price 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $610.00.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of MA opened at $532.18 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $485.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $594.71. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $559.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $544.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. Mastercard’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.31 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current 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.