United Asset Strategies Inc. Has $21.54 Million Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 39,298 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,065 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 2.0% of United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $21,540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total value of $549,372.74. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,540 shares in the company, valued at $14,630,844.40. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 56,269 shares of company stock worth $30,634,699. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $592.2310 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $563.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $555.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $535.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.93, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.03. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $461.90 and a 52-week high of $594.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. Analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial cut their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $612.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $650.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $617.93.

Mastercard 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.