Guardian Partners Inc. Sells 6,183 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Guardian Partners cut its Mastercard position by 25.1% in the second quarter, selling 6,183 shares and retaining 18,475 shares valued at approximately $9.49 million. Institutional investors collectively own 97.28% of the company.
• Mastercard reported quarterly EPS of $5.04 and revenue of $9.28 billion, beating analyst estimates; revenue rose 14.1% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87, representing a 0.6% annualized yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Buy” rating and a $661.93 price target versus a recent share price of $580.26. Mastercard is also pursuing growth in AI-driven “agentic payments,” though potential UK litigation and insider stock sales present risks.

Guardian Partners Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 25.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,475 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 6,183 shares during the period. Guardian Partners Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,489,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Saiph Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 25.6% in the second quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 1,835 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $943,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 6.0% during the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 96,299 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $49,459,000 after purchasing an additional 5,421 shares in the last quarter. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter valued at $579,000. Able Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 2.1% during the second quarter. Able Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,890 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 3.8% during the second quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $581,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $580.26 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $508.31 billion, a PE ratio of 31.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $538.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $518.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $464.52 and a 1 year high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

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. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%.The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.15 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 19.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $664.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $695.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays lifted their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Loop Capital reissued a "buy" rating and set a $631.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $661.93.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is positioning its network for “agentic payments,” in which artificial-intelligence agents make purchases for consumers. Its participation in the Agentic Payments Alliance and CEO Michael Miebach’s comments suggest the company is working to establish standards and capture transaction volume from this emerging market. How Mastercard CEO is preparing for a world where AI agents do the shopping
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard’s latest quarterly results showed earnings per share of $5.04 and revenue of $9.28 billion, exceeding analyst estimates. Revenue increased 14.1% year over year, reinforcing the company’s growth and profitability profile.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $661.93. However, valuation assessments are mixed: some intrinsic-value models indicate upside, while earnings-based measures suggest MA trades at a premium. Can Mastercard stay cheap as AI payments expand?
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard appointed Yasemin Bedir as president of its Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The change could support regional expansion, but no immediate financial impact was announced. Mastercard appoints Yasemin Bedir as EEMEA president
• Negative Sentiment: A reported UK legal ruling could make millions of people eligible for approximately £70 in compensation related to Mastercard card-fee claims. The potential financial liability and scope of the case remain unclear, but the development adds litigation risk. Mastercard ruling as millions could get compensation
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Business Officer Sachin J. Mehra sold 8,444 shares for roughly $4.87 million across August 19–20. The trades were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their significance as a discretionary bearish signal, although they may weigh modestly on sentiment. Mastercard insider trading filing

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,693 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,873,475. This represents a 14.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,702,934.17. The trade was 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,357 shares of company stock valued at $40,637,262. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard 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.

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