Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Shares Sold by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC decreased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 16.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,485 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,695 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,511,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 310 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $561.00, for a total transaction of $173,910.00. Following the sale, the director owned 8,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,669,203. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total transaction of $601,447.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 12,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,064,815.17. This trade represents a 7.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,441 shares of company stock worth $20,173,035 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA traded down $5.63 on Wednesday, hitting $558.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,540,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,669,318. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $594.71. The company has a market capitalization of $509.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $564.92 and a 200-day moving average of $545.89.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.31 EPS. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MA. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $640.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $611.50.

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.