Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Stock Holdings Lowered by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.3% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,900 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,590,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA stock opened at $561.50 on Monday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $511.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $555.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $544.04.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its 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. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.31 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $610.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 9,428 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $588.18, for a total transaction of $5,545,361.04. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,379,709.18. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 46,686 shares of company stock valued at $26,430,428 over the last ninety days. 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.