Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Purchased by Welch Group LLC

Key Points

• Welch Group increased its Mastercard stake by 13.8% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 20,831 shares valued at approximately $10.7 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 97.28% of the company.
• Mastercard reported quarterly earnings of $5.04 per share on $9.28 billion in revenue, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue rose 14.1% year over year. Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $661.93.
• Insiders sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, including CEO Michael Miebach’s $8.84 million sale; insiders have sold 62,913 shares worth $35.8 million over the past 90 days. Mastercard also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, yielding about 0.6%.

Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,831 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,526 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $10,699,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter worth about $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Mastercard by 820.0% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 113.8% during the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 31,179 shares in the company, valued at $17,781,695.49. This represents a 12.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,372 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.00, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 14.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 62,913 shares of company stock valued at $35,769,036. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.0%

MA opened at $569.05 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $464.52 and a 12 month 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. The stock has a market cap of $498.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.71. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $530.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $516.48.

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, 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 the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.15 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MA. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $605.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $701.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $629.00 to $642.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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: Bill Ackman’s investment adds credibility: Pershing Square disclosed a new Mastercard position as part of its largest portfolio overhaul in years. Ackman’s stated focus on long-term earnings growth and Mastercard’s potential in agentic commerce is providing a positive sentiment catalyst. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Stablecoin expansion creates a new growth opportunity: Mastercard is making a major push into digital dollars and euros, positioning its network and services to benefit as stablecoins gain wider use in payments. This could expand transaction volumes and value-added services, although execution and regulatory risks remain. Motley Fool article
• Positive Sentiment: Digital-payments expansion in Africa: Mastercard and TeamApt announced a strategic collaboration to broaden digital payments across Africa, opening a potentially large market for payment acceptance and financial services. Mastercard and TeamApt article
• Positive Sentiment: Most Zacks Research revisions were favorable: FY2026 EPS estimates increased to $19.72 from $19.40, while FY2027 and FY2028 estimates rose to $22.34 and $25.74, respectively. Estimates for the first three quarters of fiscal 2027 were also raised, reinforcing expectations for continued earnings growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: An analyst described Mastercard as a rare growth-at-a-reasonable-price opportunity, citing double-digit revenue growth, strong margins, cybersecurity services and resilient consumer spending. However, the shares still trade at a premium valuation, making continued execution important. Seeking Alpha article
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $4.99 from $5.01 and Q4 2027 EPS to $5.92 from $6.27. These modest cuts introduce some near-term caution despite the higher full-year forecasts.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report).

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.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source