Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stake Lessened by Rathbones Group PLC

Rathbones Group PLC decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 4.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 510,403 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 22,050 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.0% of Rathbones Group PLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Rathbones Group PLC owned approximately 0.06% of Mastercard worth $255,028,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 20.0% during the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Thomasville National Bank boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 479 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 695 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,597 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its stake in Mastercard by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 1,717 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $977,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $685.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $605.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital restated a "buy" rating and issued a $631.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $561.00 to $554.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $657.33.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:MA opened at $573.64 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $506.86 billion, a PE ratio of 31.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.73. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $464.52 and a fifty-two week high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock's 50-day moving average is $514.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $514.27.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.15 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 business'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 transaction, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,702,934.17. This represents 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 a total of 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

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?

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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