Archer Investment Corp Takes Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 4,289 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,203,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its position in Mastercard by 53,535.0% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 72,597,097 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $41,444,231,000 after acquiring an additional 72,461,743 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $6,705,708,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 861.6% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 4,072,210 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,324,743,000 after purchasing an additional 3,648,748 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 147.2% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 1,682,183 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $863,969,000 after purchasing an additional 1,001,671 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in Mastercard by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,580,374 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $20,807,283,000 after purchasing an additional 997,536 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total value of $2,440,926.80. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total value of $1,047,276.21. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at $8,702,934.17. This represents a 10.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 90 days, insiders sold 71,357 shares of company stock worth $40,637,262. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Mastercard from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $597.00 target price on the stock. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $664.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $631.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $664.71.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $595.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $549.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $519.62. The firm has a market cap of $521.67 billion, a PE ratio of 32.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.72. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $464.52 and a 12-month high of $601.62.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.77 by $0.27. The firm 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%.Mastercard's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.15 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.14%.

Key Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and QNB Group processed Syria’s first international card transaction in more than 15 years. The milestone marks the reopening and modernization of Syria’s international payments infrastructure following the lifting of certain U.S. restrictions. Although the near-term financial contribution is likely to be small, the development creates a potential new market and demonstrates Mastercard’s ability to support payments expansion. Syria marks first international card transaction in more than 15 years with Mastercard and QNB Group
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have given Mastercard a consensus “Buy” rating. Continued Wall Street support adds to the bullish backdrop, though the rating itself may already be reflected in the share price. Mastercard Incorporated Given Consensus Rating of Buy by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman added Mastercard to the hedge fund’s portfolio. The purchase may improve investor sentiment by signaling confidence from a prominent long-term investor, although it does not change Mastercard’s operating outlook. Bill Ackman Just Made His Biggest Portfolio Overhaul in Years
• Positive Sentiment: A partnership with Klook targets growing travel and experiences spending across Asia Pacific. Mastercard cardholder benefits and additional travel-related payment touchpoints could support transaction volume in a high-growth region. Klook and Mastercard collaborate to enhance travelers’ experiences across Asia Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard will participate in the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 10, where CFO Ling Hai is scheduled to speak. Investors may look for updates on growth, margins and capital allocation, but no new financial information was provided. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s name appears as a supporter of an XRPL/Ripple hackathon, but reports caution that the sponsorship does not represent a new cryptocurrency partnership or major product launch. Mastercard’s Name Is on the Ripple Hackathon, But Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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