2,032 Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Bought by Strategic Planning Group LLC

Key Points

• Strategic Planning Group increased its Mastercard position by 5.5% in the third quarter, buying 2,032 shares for a total of 38,808 shares valued at approximately $21.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 97.28% of Mastercard.
• Mastercard reported quarterly earnings of $5.04 per share and revenue of $9.28 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue rose 14.1% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, representing a 0.6% yield.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $682.66, but the stock’s premium valuation and recent insider selling remain considerations as shares approach their 52-week high.

Strategic Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 5.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,808 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,032 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 2.2% of Strategic Planning Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Strategic Planning Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $21,402,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foster Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the third quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,122 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Athena Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Mastercard by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Athena Wealth Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Novem Group raised its position in Mastercard by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Novem Group now owns 4,680 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,404,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 444 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance now owns 408 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $204,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.6%

MA opened at $632.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $633.29. The stock has a market cap of $554.04 billion, a PE ratio of 34.79, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a 50 day moving average of $580.82 and a 200-day moving average of $538.90.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.15 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 19.14%.

Mastercard News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tokenization could support revenue growth. UBS estimates payment-tokenization services may contribute low-single-digit percentage growth to Mastercard’s overall revenue and low-to-mid-single-digit growth in value-added services as digital payments expand and fraud prevention becomes more important. Visa and Mastercard tokenization fees could support revenue growth, UBS says
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming earnings expectations are favorable. Analysts anticipate year-over-year earnings growth in Mastercard’s upcoming report, while recent results have exceeded consensus estimates for both earnings and revenue. This is reinforcing expectations for another potential earnings beat. MasterCard Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is expanding its technology and payments ecosystem. New initiatives include AI tools that help cardholders use benefits, developer APIs for AI-agent payments, stablecoin risk-assessment capabilities and a Global Money Platform developed with BVNK. These products could create future revenue streams and strengthen Mastercard’s role in digital commerce. Mastercard unveils AI assistant to help cardholders use benefits
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships broaden payment volume opportunities. Agreements with Aurionpro for contactless transit payments in North America and BankIslami for Shariah-compliant cards could expand Mastercard’s acceptance footprint and transaction volumes. Its First-Party Trust program also targets rising “friendly fraud,” supporting merchant demand for Mastercard’s security services. Aurionpro, Mastercard Partner on Contactless Transit Payments in North America
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and execution remain considerations. Mastercard has substantially outperformed the broader market and trades at a premium earnings multiple. Investors will likely focus on whether upcoming results and guidance justify that valuation, particularly as the shares approach their 52-week high. Is the Market Underpricing Mastercard Stock?

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,372 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 $53,873,475. This represents a 14.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ling Hai sold 4,317 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $620.00, for a total transaction of $2,676,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 35,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,165,000. The trade was a 10.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 72,676 shares of company stock worth $41,966,586. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $670.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America raised their price target on Mastercard from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $597.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $682.66.

Mastercard Company 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 electronic payments and provides technology that supports transactions conducted through credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payment products.

In addition to operating its payments network, Mastercard offers services in areas such as payment security, fraud prevention, authentication, cybersecurity, data and analytics, loyalty programs, digital identity and open banking.

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