Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Holdings Lowered by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

Key Points

• AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc cut its Mastercard holdings by 69.3% in Q4, leaving 1,440 shares worth $822,000, while institutional investors still own about 97.28% of the stock.
• Mastercard beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $4.76 vs. $4.24 and revenue of $8.81 billion (up 17.5% YoY), and declared a $0.87 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~0.7%) payable May 8.
• Sell-side sentiment is largely positive (average price target ~$659 with many Buy/Strong Buy ratings), though regulatory and legal risks—such as a new suit over card fees—and industry changes could pressure interchange revenue.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc cut its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 69.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,440 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 3,245 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Mastercard were worth $822,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Alpine Bank Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% during the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 1,817 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Zullo Investment Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 1,091 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $621,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Mastercard by 20.0% in the 2nd 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. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,505 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,131,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 328 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $187,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.1%

Mastercard stock opened at $504.58 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $480.50 and a 12 month high of $601.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The stock has a market cap of $449.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.83. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $507.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $537.29.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Mastercard from $730.00 to $735.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $739.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore reissued a "negative" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Macquarie Infrastructure raised their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Mastercard from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $659.00.

Key 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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