Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Sold by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue lessened its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 103,436 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,461 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $57,041,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fundsmith LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at about $639,458,000. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 147.2% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 1,682,183 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $863,969,000 after buying an additional 1,001,671 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 295.8% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 860,011 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $441,702,000 after buying an additional 642,724 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,524,059 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,440,935,000 after buying an additional 605,608 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SEB Asset Management AB purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $293,574,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Linda Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 12.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 371 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.01, for a total transaction of $217,038.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,035,181.07. This represents a 4.13% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 68,359 shares of company stock worth $39,290,046. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA traded up $11.65 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $614.89. 1,612,228 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,502,078. 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 has a market cap of $538.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.76. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $464.52 and a 12-month high of $616.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $574.08 and a 200 day moving average of $533.48.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.15 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.14%.

Key Mastercard News

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Mastercard from $642.00 to $696.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on Mastercard from $580.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their target price on Mastercard from $710.00 to $688.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Clear Str raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $632.00 price target (up from $609.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, July 31st. 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.