Night Owl Capital Management LLC Purchases 1,762 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Night Owl Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,100 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,762 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up 3.3% of Night Owl Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Night Owl Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $25,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn cut Mastercard from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $640.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Six 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value 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 $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of MA opened at $576.46 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $533.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $534.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $525.56 billion, a PE ratio of 41.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $582.86.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.31 EPS. Mastercard’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

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.