Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt cut its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 25.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,840 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 9,200 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.8% of Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $14,705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,640,219,000 after purchasing an additional 377,302 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,725,627,000 after buying an additional 912,856 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,800,202,000 after buying an additional 282,739 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Mastercard by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,139,713,000 after buying an additional 817,836 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 84,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 37,258 shares of company stock worth $20,885,067 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Tigress Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Macquarie reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $610.00.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:MA opened at $584.39 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $548.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $542.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $532.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.07, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $428.86 and a 1 year high of $591.16.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. Mastercard’s revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.31 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share 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.