Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock: Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc Boosts Stake

Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc lifted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,590 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,176 shares during the quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,115,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MA. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. First Pacific Financial lifted its position in Mastercard by 113.8% during the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $701.00 price target (up from $674.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $632.00 price objective (up from $609.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $664.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Mastercard from $554.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $681.56.

Key Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Digital-wallet growth supports Mastercard’s core business. Digital wallets now represent 56% of global online shopping spending, while artificial intelligence and instant payments are creating additional opportunities. Mastercard is identified as one of the leading mobile-payments stocks positioned to benefit from these trends. Top Mobile Payments Stocks to Buy as Digital Wallet Adoption Soars
• Positive Sentiment: New payment-network partnerships could expand transaction volumes. Mastercard and WEX launched an Asia-Pacific fleet-payments network expected to process billions of dollars in annual transactions as it expands across the region. Mastercard also partnered with SoFi Tech Solutions and Mexican fintech Orbi on a crypto-backed card program, linking digital assets with Mastercard’s payment rails. WEX and Mastercard Launch APAC Fleet Payments Network
• Positive Sentiment: Stablecoin and AI initiatives enhance Mastercard’s growth narrative. Reports that Mastercard, Stripe and Circle may spend up to $3.3 billion on stablecoin operators point to a strategic push into blockchain-based payments. Mastercard is also developing safeguards against unauthorized spending by autonomous AI agents, potentially strengthening its role in emerging commerce channels. Stripe, Mastercard and Circle Agree to Pay Up to $3.3 Billion for Stablecoin Operators
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard research found that 79% of young people have used AI to research products. The finding highlights changing consumer behavior and potential long-term opportunities, but does not immediately alter earnings expectations. Mastercard Research: 79% of Young People Have Used AI to Research Products
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation risk could pressure the stock. Mastercard and Visa face a reported £700 million class action related to post-Brexit fees. The claim could create legal costs, potential damages and regulatory scrutiny, although its ultimate financial impact remains uncertain. Visa and Mastercard Face £700m Class Action Over Post-Brexit Fees

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Linda Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total transaction of $2,440,926.80. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 31,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,781,695.49. This trade represents a 12.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,372 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.00, for a total value of $8,838,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,693 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,873,475. This represents a 14.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days, insiders sold 67,618 shares of company stock valued at $38,854,630. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of MA stock traded up $9.01 on Tuesday, hitting $604.10. The company had a trading volume of 1,620,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,502,569. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $464.52 and a twelve month high of $604.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $529.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $572.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $532.04.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%. The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.15 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.90 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.14%.

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses. The company facilitates the authorization, clearing and settlement of electronic payment transactions, while generally not issuing cards or extending credit itself. Its network supports payments made in stores, online and through mobile devices.

Mastercard’s products and services include consumer and commercial payment cards, digital payment solutions, payment processing, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, identity verification, data and analytics, and open banking tools.