Optas LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Optas LLC reduced its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,780 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 292 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 0.6% of Optas LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Optas LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Merchants Corp boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.0% in the second quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 2,046 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,150,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Eagle Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 14.5% in the second quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 577 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 1.2% in the second quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 4,289 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.4% in the second quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 3,753 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,109,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 11.6% in the second quarter. LifeSteps Financial Inc. now owns 1,241 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $698,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $576.40 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $581.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $562.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $465.59 and a 1 year high of $601.77. The company has a market capitalization of $521.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.97.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.50%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,263 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $591.00, for a total transaction of $10,202,433.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,459,294. The trade was a 35.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MA. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $650.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 target price on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Mastercard from $635.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $634.04.

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.