MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH Purchases 1,110 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH increased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,645 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,110 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up 1.1% of MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $10,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 820.0% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. First Pacific Financial raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 113.8% in the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $631.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Raymond James Financial set a $609.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Mastercard from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $653.78.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

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%

MA opened at $538.88 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $501.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $516.55. The company has a market capitalization of $476.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.19, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.73. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $601.77.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 20.14%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at $8,702,934.17. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.