Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA

Key Points

• Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA reduced its Mastercard stake by 13.8% in the first quarter, selling 12,396 shares and leaving it with 77,206 shares valued at about $38.6 million.
• Mastercard posted strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates with $4.60 EPS on $8.40 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 15.8% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, payable August 7, and insider Raj Seshadri sold shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan.

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA cut its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 13.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 77,206 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 12,396 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 2.6% of Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA's holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA's holdings in Mastercard were worth $38,582,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd boosted its position in Mastercard by 7.3% in the first quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 139,844 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $70,089,000 after buying an additional 9,504 shares during the last quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,113,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 229,299 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $130,902,000 after buying an additional 9,795 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in Mastercard by 396.3% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 46,145 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $26,343,000 after buying an additional 36,848 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marble Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,328,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1%

MA opened at $539.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $476.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $497.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $518.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.19. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.88% and a return on equity of 212.96%. The company had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.73 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 20.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total value of $1,047,276.21. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,429 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,702,934.17. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $679.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $735.00 to $675.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Mastercard from $590.00 to $561.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $653.81.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard announced new partnerships to expand digital and inclusive financial services, including a collaboration with VEON across Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. That supports the company’s international growth strategy and could increase future network usage and transaction volume. VEON and Mastercard Join Forces to Accelerate Accessibility of Financial Services
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard also said integrated payment systems could add meaningful tourism revenue, reinforcing the company’s role as a beneficiary of cross-border spending and digital payments adoption. Integrated payment systems could add €300 in annual tourism revenue - MasterCard
• Positive Sentiment: ZEN.COM launched Mastercard Click to Pay, reflecting rising demand for simpler online checkout experiences and another sign that Mastercard’s payment rails remain widely adopted by merchants and consumers. ZEN.COM Launches Mastercard Click to Pay as Consumer Demand for Simpler Online Payments Grows
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Mastercard’s strong earnings track record and suggested it could beat estimates again next quarter, which can support investor confidence ahead of the next report. Will MasterCard (MA) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat’s week-in-review coverage framed Mastercard as a steady, high-quality payments name, but it did not introduce any new company-specific catalyst beyond broader investor interest in defensive growth stocks. MarketBeat Week in Review – 06/29 - 07/03
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary on stablecoins and payments competition suggests the industry is evolving, but the articles generally portray Mastercard as well-positioned rather than under direct pressure. Is Mastercard (MA) Trading At A Premium Despite Stablecoin Moves?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Raj Seshadri sold shares on two separate days under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. While not necessarily a bearish signal on fundamentals, insider sales can still weigh on sentiment around the stock. SEC filing for insider sale

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.