Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by CWA Asset Management Group LLC

Key Points

• CWA Asset Management Group reduced its Mastercard stake by 17.8% in the third quarter, selling 3,712 shares and retaining 17,198 shares valued at approximately $9.5 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds still own 97.28% of the company.
• Mastercard reported quarterly EPS of $5.04, beating estimates of $4.77, while revenue rose 14.1% year over year to $9.28 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, representing a 0.6% yield.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $682.66 versus the reported share price of $616.65. Recent company initiatives include stablecoin security tools, expanded crypto-payment capabilities and AI-based fraud detection.

CWA Asset Management Group LLC lowered its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 17.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,198 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 3,712 shares during the quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $25,000. First Pacific Financial increased its stake 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Premier Financial Group acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 102.6% during the 2nd quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC now owns 79 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Mastercard news, insider Sachin Mehra sold 3,266 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $584.00, for a total transaction of $1,907,344.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 36,650 shares in the company, valued at $21,403,600. This represents a 8.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.00, for a total transaction of $8,838,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,693 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,873,475. This trade represents a 14.09% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders have sold 72,676 shares of company stock valued at $41,966,586 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of MA opened at $616.65 on Tuesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $464.52 and a 1 year high of $622.49. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $577.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $536.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $540.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.88, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.76.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.15 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MA. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $550.00 to $620.00 in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Mastercard from $554.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price target on shares of Mastercard from $710.00 to $688.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised their price objective on Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $682.66.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard introduced a Stablecoin Security tool that combines payment and blockchain intelligence to identify fraud, scams and sanctions exposure before stablecoin transactions are completed. The product could support adoption of blockchain-based payments while creating additional risk-management revenue opportunities. Mastercard introduces risk intelligence to enable more secure stablecoin payments
• Positive Sentiment: The company is expanding its crypto team and integrating stablecoin cards and payment capabilities across roughly 130 countries, reinforcing Mastercard’s position as traditional networks connect digital assets with fiat commerce. Stablecoin payments were reported to have grown 45% to $482 billion. Mastercard expands crypto team as stablecoins take center stage
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard launched an AI-powered Agent Detection Score to estimate whether a transaction was initiated by software rather than a person. The tool may help the network manage fraud and trust risks as autonomous shopping agents become more common. Mastercard unveiled an AI Agent Detection Score
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships with Extend, Moovn, BankIslami and Powertranz are broadening Mastercard’s business-software, African, Pakistani and restaurant-payment offerings, potentially supporting long-term transaction-volume growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: U.S. officials are pressing China on independent market access for Mastercard’s network. Greater access would be a significant growth opportunity, but the outcome and timing remain uncertain. U.S. officials press China on market access
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Ling Hai sold 4,317 shares worth approximately $2.7 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sale is a modest negative sentiment signal, although scheduled insider selling does not necessarily indicate a change in business outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: With Mastercard trading near its 52-week high at a valuation of roughly 33 times earnings, expectations are elevated. Investors may demand continued strong growth beyond the most recent quarter’s 14.1% revenue increase and earnings beat.

Mastercard Company 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 electronic payments and provides technology that supports transactions conducted through credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payment products.

In addition to operating its payments network, Mastercard offers services in areas such as payment security, fraud prevention, authentication, cybersecurity, data and analytics, loyalty programs, digital identity and open banking.

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