Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Acquired by Ninety One UK Ltd

Key Points

• Ninety One UK increased its Mastercard stake by 24.1% in the third quarter, adding 179,882 shares to own 925,186 shares worth approximately $510.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 97.28% of Mastercard’s outstanding stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a target price of about $682.66. Recent upgrades and price-target increases came from Bank of America, UBS and Raymond James.
• Mastercard reported quarterly EPS of $5.04 and revenue of $9.28 billion, exceeding estimates, while revenue rose 14.1% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, equivalent to a 0.6% annual yield.

Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 24.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 925,186 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 179,882 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.2% of Ninety One UK Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Ninety One UK Ltd owned 0.11% of Mastercard worth $510,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,964,305 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $18,984,867,000 after buying an additional 486,283 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,123,041 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,559,779,000 after acquiring an additional 480,725 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,225,359 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,111,216,000 after acquiring an additional 42,871 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 17.8% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,666,018 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,831,763,000 after acquiring an additional 554,366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.8% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 3,626,416 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,862,527,000 after acquiring an additional 199,424 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Sachin Mehra sold 7,444 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.13, for a total transaction of $4,296,155.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 40,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,613,851.08. This trade represents a 15.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 371 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.01, for a total transaction of $217,038.71. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,035,181.07. This trade represents a 4.13% 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. Insiders sold a total of 68,359 shares of company stock valued at $39,290,046 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on MA shares. Bank of America increased their price target on Mastercard from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Dbs Bank upgraded Mastercard to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group boosted their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Clear Str upgraded Mastercard to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $632.00 price objective (up from $609.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $682.66.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stablecoin platform expands Mastercard’s growth opportunity: Mastercard and BVNK launched the Mastercard Global Money Platform, a single API that enables banks, fintechs and businesses to manage fiat currencies and stablecoins. The product is the first major integration since Mastercard acquired BVNK in August and could increase Mastercard’s role in cross-border payments and digital-asset settlement. Mastercard and BVNK launch Global Money Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish: Wall Street’s consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $681.56. Recent target increases from UBS, Daiwa Securities and Truist reinforce expectations for further upside, supporting demand for MA shares. Wall Street’s bullish views on Mastercard
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and earnings expectations are supportive: Technical coverage says Mastercard has moved above key buy points after an extended winning streak, while analysts anticipate double-digit earnings growth in the next report. Its prior quarter included EPS and revenue beats, with revenue up 14.1% year over year. Mastercard’s winning streak and chart outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Payments ecosystem continues to broaden: Mastercard is expanding into crypto-linked cards in Mexico, cybersecurity services in Africa and fleet payments across Asia-Pacific with WEX. These initiatives could support long-term transaction growth in emerging and commercial markets. Mastercard expands in Africa and Asia-Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Julius Genachowski sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transactions modestly reduced his holdings but are less significant as an indication of outlook because they were scheduled in advance. Mastercard director stock sale

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA traded up $12.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $615.41. 1,647,703 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,502,578. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $574.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $533.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $539.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.84, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.76. 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 Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $464.52 and a fifty-two week high of $616.27.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.15 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.90 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard's payout ratio is presently 19.14%.

Mastercard 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 the authorization, clearing and settlement of electronic payment transactions, while generally not issuing cards or extending credit itself. Its network supports payments made in stores, online and through mobile devices.

Mastercard's products and services include consumer and commercial payment cards, digital payment solutions, payment processing, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, identity verification, data and analytics, and open banking tools.

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