Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Prana Capital Management LP

Prana Capital Management LP decreased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 22.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 94,650 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 27,922 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 2.4% of Prana Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Prana Capital Management LP’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $49,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Mastercard by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,179,138 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,640,219,000 after acquiring an additional 377,302 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,267,937 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,725,627,000 after acquiring an additional 912,856 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,657,792 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,800,202,000 after acquiring an additional 282,739 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $6,022,224,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Mastercard by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,760,740 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,139,713,000 after acquiring an additional 817,836 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $572.89 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $533.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $534.45. The company has a market cap of $522.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $428.86 and a fifty-two week high of $582.86.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share 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 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 firm posted $3.31 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MA. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price target (up from $614.00) on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp lifted 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 began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.25.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total transaction of $87,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,887,900. The trade was a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the business’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 transaction of $8,678,774.00. Following 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529. Corporate insiders own 0.10% 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.