Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Sold by Ninety One North America Inc.

Ninety One North America Inc. decreased its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 39.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,070 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 42,119 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 1.8% of Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $35,333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. First Pacific Financial increased its stake in Mastercard by 113.8% in the 1st quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stablecoin platform expands Mastercard’s growth opportunity: Mastercard and BVNK launched the Mastercard Global Money Platform, a single API that enables banks, fintechs and businesses to manage fiat currencies and stablecoins. The product is the first major integration since Mastercard acquired BVNK in August and could increase Mastercard’s role in cross-border payments and digital-asset settlement. Mastercard and BVNK launch Global Money Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish: Wall Street’s consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $681.56. Recent target increases from UBS, Daiwa Securities and Truist reinforce expectations for further upside, supporting demand for MA shares. Wall Street’s bullish views on Mastercard
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and earnings expectations are supportive: Technical coverage says Mastercard has moved above key buy points after an extended winning streak, while analysts anticipate double-digit earnings growth in the next report. Its prior quarter included EPS and revenue beats, with revenue up 14.1% year over year. Mastercard’s winning streak and chart outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Payments ecosystem continues to broaden: Mastercard is expanding into crypto-linked cards in Mexico, cybersecurity services in Africa and fleet payments across Asia-Pacific with WEX. These initiatives could support long-term transaction growth in emerging and commercial markets. Mastercard expands in Africa and Asia-Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Julius Genachowski sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transactions modestly reduced his holdings but are less significant as an indication of outlook because they were scheduled in advance. Mastercard director stock sale

Mastercard Stock Performance

MA traded up $11.77 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $615.01. The stock had a trading volume of 1,612,228 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,502,078. The stock has a market cap of $538.75 billion, a PE ratio of 33.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.76. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $464.52 and a 1 year high of $616.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $574.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $533.48.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Sachin Mehra sold 7,444 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.13, for a total transaction of $4,296,155.72. Following the sale, the insider owned 40,916 shares in the company, valued at $23,613,851.08. This represents a 15.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 16,628 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $567.68, for a total value of $9,439,383.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 115,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,806,033.28. The trade was a 12.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 68,359 shares of company stock valued at $39,290,046 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Clear Str upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Mastercard from $670.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $701.00 target price (up from $674.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $665.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $682.66.

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.