Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT Reduces Stake in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT reduced its holdings in Mastercard by 8.7% during the first quarter, now owning 8,418 shares valued at $4.61 million.
• Mastercard reported a quarterly revenue of $8.13 billion, exceeding analysts' expectations and demonstrating a 16.8% year-over-year growth.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, with a yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 20.50%.

Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT cut its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 8.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,418 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 806 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 1.2% of Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT's holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 10Elms LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $7.6910 on Wednesday, hitting $593.2010. The stock had a trading volume of 1,604,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,800,430. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $461.90 and a 52-week high of $594.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock has a market cap of $536.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.03. The company's 50 day moving average price is $563.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $555.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.05 by $0.10. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The business had revenue of $8.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Mastercard from $639.00 to $661.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, June 6th. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $617.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.77, for a total value of $601,447.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,064,815.17. This represents a 7.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,453 shares of company stock valued at $20,178,667 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.09% 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.