Liberty Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Liberty Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,139 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,269,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Willis Investment Counsel grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 17,220 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,439,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA grew its position in Mastercard by 121.4% in the first quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 1,948 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,068,000 after acquiring an additional 1,068 shares in the last quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 39,797 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $21,813,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter valued at about $449,000. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Mastercard by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,866 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,148,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of MA stock opened at $588.75 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The firm has a market cap of $536.77 billion, a PE ratio of 42.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $553.50 and a 200-day moving average of $543.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 58,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,196,757.55. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 37,258 shares of company stock valued at $20,885,067. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Macquarie reduced 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. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.