Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Key Points

• Impax Asset Management trimmed its Mastercard stake by 3.9% in Q4, selling 13,510 shares and leaving it with 332,450 shares worth about $189.8 million, roughly 1.2% of the firm's portfolio.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish—most analysts rate MA a Buy/Strong Buy with an average target of $659—and Mastercard recently beat quarterly estimates with $4.76 EPS (vs. $4.24) and 17.5% revenue growth year‑over‑year.
• Shareholders will receive a $0.87 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.48, ~0.7% yield), but the stock faces downside risks from a new lawsuit over card fees and industry shifts that could pressure interchange revenue.

Impax Asset Management Group plc lessened its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 332,450 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 13,510 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 1.2% of Impax Asset Management Group plc's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Mastercard were worth $189,789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Tacita Capital Inc raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Dagco Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Dagco Inc. now owns 66 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 627.3% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 80 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Mastercard from $730.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Compass Point raised Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $620.00 to $735.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $656.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $659.00.

Mastercard Stock Performance

NYSE MA opened at $504.58 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $449.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $507.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $537.86. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $480.50 and a 1-year high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.80 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 203.92% and a net margin of 45.65%.Mastercard's revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.82 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.52 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

More Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street expects earnings growth next week, boosting the prospect of an earnings beat that can drive the stock higher. MasterCard (MA) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets upgraded MA to "strong-buy," a bullish signal from a major shop that can support buying interest. BMO Upgrade Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple business expansions and partnerships — e.g., KuCoin launching a Mastercard‑powered USDC payment card in Australia and new initiatives in South Africa and Sri Lanka — underscore network growth and new revenue streams. KuCoin Debuts Mastercard-Powered USDC Payment Card in Australia
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate sustainability and revenue progress: Mastercard reported continued revenue growth and emissions reductions, reinforcing the quality growth narrative investors like. Mastercard grows revenue, reduces emissions for third straight year
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary and bullish write-ups (including a positive thesis summarized on Yahoo Finance) highlight MA’s valuation vs. growth and keep buy-side interest elevated. Is Mastercard Incorporated (MA) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist lowered its price target from $611 to $590 but kept a "buy" rating — slightly less upside than before but still supportive. Truist Lowers PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation comparisons (PayPal vs. Mastercard) keep analysts debating relative value; these discussions can influence flows but are not an immediate catalyst. PYPL vs. MA: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal pressure: a new suit over card fees could increase litigation and regulatory scrutiny, creating a downside risk to margins and sentiment. Visa, Mastercard face new suit over card fees
• Negative Sentiment: Industry changes: reporting on a proposed Visa–Mastercard deal suggests merchants could gain tools to steer spending, which may pressure interchange revenue over time. Proposed Visa–Mastercard Deal Hands Merchants New Power to Steer Spending

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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