GSB Wealth Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

GSB Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 13.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,409 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 218 shares during the period. GSB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $772,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of MA stock opened at $569.56 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $558.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $544.46. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $594.71. The company has a market capitalization of $519.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.94, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.05. 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 posted its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The firm’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.31 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,024,394.75. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,513 shares of company stock worth $23,166,463 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MA. UBS Group raised their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Macquarie reduced their target price on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report 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. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $610.00.

Mastercard 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.