Mastercard Incorporated $MA is HF Advisory Group LLC's 4th Largest Position

Key Points

• HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its Mastercard stake by 3,480.1% in Q4 to 119,719 shares, a position worth about $68.35 million that represents 2.6% of the fund and is its 4th-largest holding.
• Mastercard beat quarterly expectations with $4.76 EPS (vs. $4.24 consensus) and $8.81 billion in revenue (up 17.5% YoY), with strong profitability metrics (45.65% net margin, 203.92% ROE); the company also declared a $0.87 quarterly dividend (0.7% yield).
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus Buy rating and a $664.40 target, and recent catalysts include Amazon choosing Mastercard to issue new U.S. business credit cards — a meaningful client win expected to boost transaction volume and fees.

HF Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3,480.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 119,719 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 116,375 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 2.6% of HF Advisory Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. HF Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $68,345,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Robbins Farley increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% during the third quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Tacita Capital Inc raised its holdings in Mastercard by 50.0% during the third quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC lifted its position in Mastercard by 250.0% in the third quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Wall Street Zen raised Mastercard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, March 15th. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on Mastercard from $707.00 to $631.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $656.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $668.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $678.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $664.40.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of MA stock opened at $491.96 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $438.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.78, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $517.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $545.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $465.59 and a twelve month high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.80 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.65% and a return on equity of 203.92%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 21.07%.

Mastercard News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Amazon selects Mastercard/U.S. Bank to issue new U.S. business credit cards (replacing AmEx), a meaningful new client win that should drive transaction volume and net‑interchange revenue over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Loop Capital initiated coverage with a Buy rating and $631 price target, signaling analyst confidence in MA after recent pullbacks; positive momentum for investor sentiment. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Traditional finance continues to muscle into crypto: Franklin Templeton bought 250 Digital, and fintechs are launching stablecoin card rails that run on Mastercard’s network — potential new volume and fee streams as digital assets integrate with card payments. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard is reportedly exploring selling a European "real payment" unit (acquired 2019) that generates ~$370M revenue and ~$100M earnings — could shrink recurring revenue if sold but may free capital to invest in higher‑growth blockchain/stablecoin initiatives. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst action: Evercore ISI reiterated an In Line rating ($610 PT) and UBS trimmed its target from $700 to $650 while keeping a Buy — supports longer‑term upside but highlights near‑term valuation reassessment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Australia’s central bank plans to ban merchant surcharges from October, a policy that could pressure card‑related fees and merchant economics in a key market. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/reputational noise persists (FTC scrutiny referenced over past conduct), a reminder that public policy and reputation risk can affect issuer/processor relationships and costs. Read More.

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.

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