Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Riverwater Partners LLC

Riverwater Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 13.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,007 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 160 shares during the quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $588.18, for a total transaction of $5,545,361.04. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,379,709.18. This trade represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,513 shares of company stock worth $23,166,463 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Seven equities research 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $610.00.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE:MA opened at $538.45 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $559.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $544.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $490.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.05.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.31 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

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.