Cornerstone Advisory LLC Reduces Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cornerstone Advisory LLC lessened its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,090 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 214 shares during the quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $5,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MA. Barclays lifted their target price on Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Mastercard from $605.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Macquarie dropped their price objective 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.25.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $569.43 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $519.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $538.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $536.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $428.86 and a twelve month high of $588.45.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued 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. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.31 EPS. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total value of $85,417.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,024,394.75. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.