Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Harbor Investment Advisory LLC

Harbor Investment Advisory LLC reduced its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.4% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 26,097 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,191 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 0.9% of Harbor Investment Advisory LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 113.8% during the 1st quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total transaction of $1,047,276.21. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,702,934.17. This trade represents a 10.74% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,261 shares of company stock valued at $22,773,599. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE MA opened at $571.26 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $517.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $514.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $464.52 and a twelve month high of $601.77. The stock has a market cap of $504.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.42, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.72.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.15 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.77 EPS 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. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $701.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $597.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $631.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $659.00.

More Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BVNK acquisition expands digital-asset capabilities: Mastercard completed its purchase of stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK, a deal announced at a value of up to $1.8 billion. The acquisition is intended to connect fiat and digital currencies and strengthen Mastercard’s offerings to banks, businesses and other institutions adopting stablecoins. Mastercard completes acquisition of BVNK to advance global stablecoin capabilities
• Positive Sentiment: Fiserv partnership could drive merchant-services growth: Mastercard and Fiserv announced a global partnership combining Fiserv’s Commerce Hub with Mastercard’s merchant services. The collaboration is designed to help enterprise merchants improve payments across channels and markets, potentially increasing Mastercard’s business-to-business and value-added-services opportunities. Fiserv and Mastercard Deepen Global Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target increases reinforce bullish sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its Mastercard price target to $695 from $650 and maintained an “overweight” rating. Other reports also cited price-target increases to $680 and $685, suggesting analysts see additional upside following Mastercard’s strong earnings performance. Mastercard price target raised
• Positive Sentiment: Premium-card refresh supports payment volume and engagement: Mastercard, Citi and American Airlines introduced enhanced benefits for the Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard, including expanded lounge access, rewards and travel-related perks. The initiative targets frequent premium travelers and could support spending activity on Mastercard’s network. Mastercard launches richer Citi AAdvantage Executive World Legend Card
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard announced six senior appointments across Asia Pacific and is reorganizing regional leadership. The moves may improve execution but have no immediate financial impact. Mastercard makes senior appointments across Asia Pacific
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Michael Miebach sold a combined 33,256 shares for approximately $19.1 million, reducing his direct holdings by roughly 26%. Because both sales occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, they may reflect scheduled diversification rather than a negative view of Mastercard’s outlook, limiting the bearish signal. Mastercard CEO SEC Form 4 filing

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.