United Asset Strategies Inc. Sells 5,487 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

United Asset Strategies Inc. cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 13.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,369 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 5,487 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up 1.6% of United Asset Strategies Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $14,659,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $535.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $490.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $432.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $504.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $485.91.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock traded up $2.50 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $462.29. 606,539 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,404,577. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $357.85 and a 12 month high of $490.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $431.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day moving average of $471.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $432.58.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.10. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.60% and a return on equity of 191.22%. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 22.32%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total value of $43,072.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,740,407.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CMO Venkata R. Madabhushi sold 16,037 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.94, for a total transaction of $7,632,649.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 12,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,832,644.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ajay Bhalla sold 98 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $439.52, for a total transaction of $43,072.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,740,407.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 41,728 shares of company stock valued at $19,479,753 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.