Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA – Free Report) by 19.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 183,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 44,050 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 3.3% of Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $91,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,594,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 2,548 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,432,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Betterment LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 6.5% in the second quarter. Betterment LLC now owns 947 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $532,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 35.8% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 677,204 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $380,548,000 after purchasing an additional 178,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth $431,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Mastercard Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE MA opened at $537.02 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $500.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $516.83. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $464.52 and a one year high of $601.77. The firm has a market cap of $474.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.73.
Mastercard Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.14%.
Insider Transactions at Mastercard
In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total transaction of $1,047,276.21. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at $8,702,934.17. This represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at $1,793,880. This represents a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $656.00 to $629.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Mastercard from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $735.00 to $675.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore restated a “negative” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $679.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $653.78.
Get Our Latest Report on Mastercard
Mastercard News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Mastercard shares are being supported by broader strength in financial stocks, which rose late in the session and helped lift sentiment across the sector. Sector Update: Financial Stocks Rise Late Afternoon
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to point to meaningful upside in Mastercard, with Buy ratings and favorable MarketRank/price-target sentiment reinforcing a constructive outlook for the stock. Analysts See Major Upside for These 5 Stocks (MA)
- Positive Sentiment: Mastercard also gained attention after adding NordVPN to its lifestyle perks, a small but positive consumer-facing enhancement that could support cardholder engagement. NordVPN is now part of Mastercard’s lifestyle perks — find out if you are eligible
- Neutral Sentiment: News that Mastercard is reviewing options for its U.K. payments subsidiary Vocalink suggests portfolio optimization, but the financial impact is still unclear because talks are reportedly early and no deal has been announced. Mastercard examines sale of UK payments subsidiary Vocalink
- Neutral Sentiment: Additional reports that Mastercard may sell a majority stake in Vocalink, and commentary about overseas regulators and “payment protectionism,” could matter strategically, but they do not yet indicate a completed transaction or immediate earnings impact. Mastercard in early talks to sell majority stake in Vocalink– report
- Negative Sentiment: The Vocalink headlines also highlight regulatory pressure in the U.K. and concerns about foreign ownership of critical payments infrastructure, which could create uncertainty or limit Mastercard’s strategic flexibility. Mastercard’s Vocalink rumors and the rise of payment protectionism
Mastercard Company Profile
Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.
Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.
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