Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Quent Capital LLC

Quent Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,299 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,640,219,000 after acquiring an additional 377,302 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,725,627,000 after acquiring an additional 912,856 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,800,202,000 after acquiring an additional 282,739 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Mastercard by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,139,713,000 after acquiring an additional 817,836 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Macquarie decreased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $620.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $608.57.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.3%

MA stock opened at $577.36 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $588.45. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $543.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $539.17. The company has a market capitalization of $526.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.31 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total transaction of $87,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,255 shares in the company, valued at $1,887,900. The trade was a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.