Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stake Lessened by Bessemer Group Inc.

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. reduced its Mastercard stake by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 97,477 shares and ending with 532,015 shares valued at about $303.7 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high at 97.28%, and several other funds made smaller additions to their Mastercard positions during the period.
• Mastercard’s recent earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $4.60 versus $4.41 expected and revenue of $8.40 billion, while analysts still maintain a consensus Buy rating with an average price target of $656.

Bessemer Group Inc. lessened its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 532,015 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 97,477 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.06% of Mastercard worth $303,717,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 20.0% in the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% in the third quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,167 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Matisse Capital increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.4% in the third quarter. Matisse Capital now owns 1,348 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $767,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Millington Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 5.2% in the third quarter. Millington Financial Advisors LLC now owns 386 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% in the third quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is testing AI-driven “agentic commerce” payments with PhotonPay, which could open a new growth avenue in autonomous, secure digital transactions as the market for AI-enabled commerce develops. PhotonPay Completes its First Live Agentic Payment Together with Mastercard
• Positive Sentiment: Amazon launched new Prime Business and Amazon Business credit cards powered by U.S. Bank and the Mastercard network, reinforcing Mastercard’s role in large co-branded card programs and ongoing payment volume growth. Amazon's New Prime Business and Amazon Business Credit Cards, Powered by U.S. Bank and Mastercard®, Are Now Available with Enhanced Rewards and Flexible Financing
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to highlight Mastercard as a top financial-transaction name benefiting from digital payment trends, including contactless payments, BNPL, and cross-border commerce. 5 Financial Transaction Stocks to Watch Amid Digital Advancements
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard also got attention from sustainability-related coverage and broader analyst commentary, but these items appear more informational than immediately stock-moving. Mastercard: How Technology Is Turning Sustainability Goals Into Measurable Action
• Negative Sentiment: A U.S. inquiry into Brazil’s PIX instant-payment system raises concern that government-backed payment rails could bypass card networks and pressure Mastercard’s long-term transaction growth. U.S. PIX Inquiry Puts Mastercard Growth And Valuation In Focus
• Negative Sentiment: New proposed U.S. campaign-finance transparency rules could add compliance requirements for card networks that process political donations, including Mastercard. New Bill: Representative Bryan Steil introduces H.R. 8720: Campaign Finance Transparency Act
• Negative Sentiment: Truist cut its price target on Mastercard, which may reinforce concerns that the stock’s valuation is being tempered by macro headwinds and slower near-term growth. Mastercard NYSE: MA Price Target Cut to $561.00 by Analysts at Truist Financial

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $640.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $605.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Mastercard from $735.00 to $675.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $656.00.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.1%

MA stock opened at $489.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $480.50 and a 1-year high of $601.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $503.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $531.86. The firm has a market cap of $432.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.35, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.76.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.26 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.88% and a return on equity of 212.96%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.73 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.58 EPS for the current year.

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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