Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,431,340 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 955,533 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.7% of Vanguard Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 8.79% of Mastercard worth $45,181,341,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. LGT Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Mastercard during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Robbins Farley boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Mastercard stock opened at $518.43 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $465.55 billion, a PE ratio of 31.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.83. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $465.59 and a one year high of $601.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $553.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $563.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.52. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.65% and a return on equity of 203.92%. The company had revenue of $8.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 21.07%.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results/revenue beat — Mastercard reported revenue and spending trends that topped forecasts, reinforcing the company’s exposure to resilient consumer and electronic payments volume. This is the primary fundamental support for shares. Mastercard Incorporated (MA) Revenue Beats Forecasts as Customers Continue to Spend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades to near-term estimates — Zacks raised several near-term EPS estimates (notably FY2026 and some 2026 quarters), implying improved expected earnings momentum into 2026 that can support valuation if sustained. MarketBeat MA overview / Zacks note
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend payment — Mastercard paid its $0.87 quarterly dividend on Feb. 9, reflecting steady shareholder returns but not an unexpected change to the company’s capital allocation policy. Carrier Global’s Quiet Dividend Strategy Deserves Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor outreach — Mastercard announced participation in investor conferences in March, which provides additional management access for investors but is routine. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed / trimmed longer‑term estimates — Zacks also trimmed several 2027 quarterly and FY2027 EPS forecasts even as it raised other near-term/longer-term numbers; the mixed revisions add uncertainty around multi-year growth cadence and may temper enthusiasm. MarketBeat MA overview / Zacks note
• Negative Sentiment: Profit‑taking and valuation pressure — after the earnings beat and a multi‑month run near all‑time highs, investors appear to be taking profits and reacting to any mixed signals from analysts; MA’s valuation metrics and distance from moving averages make it vulnerable to short‑term pullbacks even on good news. (No external link)

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Mastercard from $685.00 to $655.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $685.00 price objective on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $669.27.

About Mastercard

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.