Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Holdings Lifted by Salem Investment Counselors Inc.

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,589 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Everhart Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 18.6% in the 1st quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,518 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,025,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares during the period. Marshall Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 4,059 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,225,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Puff Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $231,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 510 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $5,167,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 4.7%

MA opened at $561.50 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $594.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $555.17 and a 200-day moving average of $543.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $511.92 billion, a PE ratio of 40.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. The business 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 business earned $3.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Tigress Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Truist Financial started coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $640.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Macquarie decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $610.00.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the firm’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 value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,686 shares of company stock valued at $26,430,428. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.