Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Key Points

• Sapient Capital LLC cut its Mastercard stake by 38.7% in the first quarter, selling 35,401 shares and retaining 56,020 shares valued at approximately $28.0 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 97.28% of the company.
• Mastercard reported quarterly adjusted EPS of $5.04 and revenue of $9.28 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue rose 14.1% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, representing a 0.6% yield.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $657.33, although Mastercard’s elevated valuation and recent insider selling could present risks for investors.

Sapient Capital LLC decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 38.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,020 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 35,401 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $27,986,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new position in Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Mastercard by 820.0% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial increased 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.1%

MA stock opened at $573.64 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The firm has a market cap of $506.86 billion, a PE ratio of 31.55, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.73. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1 year low of $464.52 and a 1 year high of $601.77. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $514.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $514.27.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%.The business's revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.15 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. Mastercard's payout ratio is 19.14%.

More Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter results exceeded expectations. Mastercard reported adjusted EPS of $5.04 versus the $4.77 consensus and revenue of $9.28 billion versus expectations of $9.08 billion. Revenue increased 14.1% year over year, driven by resilient consumer spending, higher payment volumes, cross-border transactions and value-added services. Mastercard profit jumps as stable spending drives transaction volumes
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued constructive growth commentary. Mastercard expects third-quarter net revenue growth at the high end of the low-double-digit range, with the anticipated BVNK deal closing providing an additional strategic growth opportunity. Mastercard expects Q3 2026 net revenue growth
• Positive Sentiment: Agentic commerce is becoming a key growth narrative. The company is developing AI-enabled payment flows, fraud protection and security tools designed to let Mastercard participate as AI agents increasingly conduct purchases. Analysts also raised their price targets to $680 and $685, maintaining bullish ratings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard launched Egypt’s first U.S.-dollar corporate debit card with National Bank of Egypt, expanding its commercial-payments footprint. The company also continues to promote virtual cards, scam prevention and B2B payment controls.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern. After a roughly 59.9% five-year return, some analysts argue MA shares already reflect substantial growth expectations. With the stock trading at an elevated earnings multiple, investors may be taking profits or demanding stronger future growth before bidding shares higher. Is Mastercard Getting Too Expensive For Its Growth?

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $632.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $605.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group increased their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $657.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,880. This trade represents a 5.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total transaction of $1,047,276.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at $8,702,934.17. The trade was a 10.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.

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.