Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC Sells 12,095 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Azimuth Capital Investment Management cut its Mastercard stake by 33.6%, selling 12,095 shares and retaining 23,876 shares valued at approximately $12.3 million. Institutional investors still own 97.28% of the company.
• Mastercard reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $5.04 and revenue of $9.28 billion; revenue increased 14.1% year over year, while net margin reached 46.34%.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with an average “Buy” rating and a $666.64 price target. Several executives also sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, while the company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share.

Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 33.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,876 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 12,095 shares during the quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $12,263,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Mastercard by 820.0% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial increased its position in Mastercard by 113.8% during the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $579.43 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 firm has a market cap of $507.59 billion, a PE ratio of 31.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.74. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $464.52 and a 12-month high of $601.62. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $558.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $521.47.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard’s Strive India program has helped small businesses access more than $150 million in credit. The initiative strengthens Mastercard’s role in financial inclusion and could expand future payment volumes in a large growth market. Mastercard Strive India Aids Small Firms With Over $150 Million in Credit
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard launched its first Start Path cohort focused on agentic commerce, with 22 startups developing technology that enables AI agents to initiate and complete transactions. The effort positions Mastercard to capture a potential new payments channel as autonomous purchasing develops. Mastercard Start Path Launches Inaugural Agentic Commerce Cohort
• Positive Sentiment: Citi Hong Kong plans to introduce a virtual credit card with a dynamic card validation code in partnership with Mastercard. The product could improve digital-payment security and reinforce Mastercard’s technology value proposition. Citi Hong Kong Dynamic CVC Virtual Credit Card Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard expanded leadership for digital acceptance in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region and launched travel deals with Klook. Both developments may support merchant adoption and engagement, but are unlikely to materially change near-term earnings. Mastercard Elevates Vanshi Kotru Mastercard and Klook Launch Travel Deals
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Sachin Mehra sold 3,266 shares valued at approximately $1.9 million, reducing his direct holdings by 8.18%. Because the transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, it is a limited bearish signal, but it can still weigh on sentiment—particularly with Mastercard trading near a 52-week high and at a premium earnings multiple. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 16,628 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $567.68, for a total value of $9,439,383.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 115,921 shares in the company, valued at $65,806,033.28. This trade represents a 12.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 Linda Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total value of $2,440,926.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 31,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,781,695.49. This trade represents a 12.07% 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 ninety days, insiders sold 74,623 shares of company stock valued at $42,544,606. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $664.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $632.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, July 31st. Dbs Bank upgraded Mastercard to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $666.64.

About Mastercard

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.

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