Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Buys 419 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,866 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $8,148,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Net Worth Advisory Group increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 25.0% in the first quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,882 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. apricus wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 29.0% in the 1st quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. now owns 905 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $496,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 7,899 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arvest Investments Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at about $624,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,024,394.75. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 37,258 shares of company stock worth $20,885,067. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on MA shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. 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. Macquarie decreased 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. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $610.00.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE MA opened at $590.78 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $551.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $543.22. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $428.86 and a one year high of $594.71. The company has a market capitalization of $538.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. 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 firm’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Mastercard

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.