First National Bank of Hutchinson Sells 1,279 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

First National Bank of Hutchinson lessened its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 45.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,560 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,279 shares during the quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 7.3% during the first quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 139,844 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $70,089,000 after acquiring an additional 9,504 shares during the last quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,113,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 229,299 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $130,902,000 after acquiring an additional 9,795 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its position in Mastercard by 396.3% in the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 46,145 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,343,000 after purchasing an additional 36,848 shares during the period. Finally, Marble Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth about $1,328,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Mastercard to $680 from $660 and kept an “Outperform” rating, citing expectations for revenue growth acceleration in the coming quarters. Baird Raises PT on Mastercard (MA) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage on Mastercard with an “Overweight” rating and a $640 price target, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock. Barclays Initiates Mastercard (MA) Coverage at Overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard continues to expand partnerships and product usage, including RAKBANK strengthening its relationship with Mastercard, Kraken rolling out a Mastercard crypto debit card in the UK and Europe, and new consumer perks such as NordVPN access. RAKBANK and Mastercard strengthen strategic relationship to drive payments innovation
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard’s shares have been trading higher recently as the company benefits from broader strength in financial stocks and a positive earnings backdrop from its last report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard is reportedly considering selling a majority stake in its UK payments subsidiary Vocalink, a move that could free up capital and reduce regulatory overhang, but it also raises questions about its long-term strategy in a key infrastructure asset. Mastercard examines sale of UK payments subsidiary Vocalink
• Neutral Sentiment: The House passed a bill that would restrict payment card networks from requiring firearm-related merchant category codes, which could create compliance changes for Mastercard, though the financial impact is still uncertain. Congress Vote: The House has passed H.R. 1181 – Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act
• Negative Sentiment: Citi ThankYou Mastercard losing JetBlue as a transfer partner could make that card less attractive to some consumers, potentially pressuring associated card economics and brand appeal. Citi ThankYou Mastercard Loses JetBlue as a Transfer Partner

Mastercard Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:MA opened at $538.88 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $464.52 and a 1-year high of $601.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $476.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.19, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.73. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $501.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $516.55.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.26 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.73 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Mastercard from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reissued a “negative” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $640.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $653.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 4,828 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.00, for a total transaction of $2,534,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,625,225. The trade was a 22.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard 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.