Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock: Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. Decreases Position

Key Points

• Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. cut its Mastercard position 31.6% in the third quarter, selling 3,810 shares and retaining 8,250 shares worth about $4.55 million. Other institutional investors made mixed moves, and institutions own 97.28% of the stock.
• Mastercard beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $5.31 versus $5.17 expected and revenue of $9.81 billion versus $9.66 billion; revenue rose 14% year over year.
• Analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $705.67. The company’s quarterly dividend was $0.87 per share, equivalent to a 0.5% annualized yield.

Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. cut its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 31.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,250 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 3,810 shares during the period. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its stake in Mastercard by 21.4% in the 3rd quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 75,894 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $41,853,000 after purchasing an additional 13,393 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 12,523 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $6,906,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC now owns 434 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.3% in the third quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 3,756 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,071,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 17.5% in the third quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 28,435 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $15,681,000 after purchasing an additional 4,240 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $655.32 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $574.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.27, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.78. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $464.52 and a fifty-two week high of $681.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $594.35 and a 200 day moving average of $539.76.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The credit services provider reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $9.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.66 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.73% and a return on equity of 260.86%. Mastercard's revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.38 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 20.00 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Mastercard's payout ratio is 18.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 371 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.01, for a total transaction of $217,038.71. Following the sale, the director owned 8,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,035,181.07. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ling Hai sold 4,318 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $642.43, for a total value of $2,774,012.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 35,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,966,872.50. This trade represents a 10.78% 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 sold a total of 25,403 shares of company stock worth $15,428,736 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on MA. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Mastercard from $597.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $695.00 to $765.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $632.00 price objective (up from $609.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Clear Str upgraded Mastercard to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on Mastercard from $674.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $705.67.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A fund with $4.5 billion in U.S. equities increased its Mastercard stake by 1,884% in the third quarter, a notable signal of institutional investor interest. Article: A Fund With $4.5 Billion in US Equities Just Bought These 3 Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Egypt’s Housing and Development Bank will use Mastercard’s platform and global network to expand its card offering, potentially supporting payment volume and reach. Article: Egypt’s HDB partners with Mastercard to expand card offer
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is backing Seattle startup Firmly’s work on AI shopping agents alongside JPMorgan, giving the company exposure to emerging commerce technology; the report does not specify the investment size. Article: JPMorgan and Mastercard back Seattle startup Firmly’s bet on AI shopping agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s Citi FinTech Conference appearance and CEO Michael Miebach’s profile may offer investor perspective, but the headlines provide no specific financial guidance or material new developments. Article: Mastercard presents at Citi’s 15th Annual FinTech Conference Article: How Mastercard’s Michael Miebach Learned to Love Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing MA and WEX as value stocks does not provide a specific conclusion in the supplied summary. Mastercard also joined an Australian accessibility accreditation initiative, a reputational development with unclear near-term earnings impact. Article: WEX or MA: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now? Article: Mastercard, Telstra & Woolies Back New Accessibility Accreditation
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker cut Mastercard to Hold, signaling a more cautious view that could weigh on sentiment. Article: Mastercard Cut to Hold at Freedom Broker

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, merchants, financial institutions, businesses and governments. Its network supports electronic payments, including transactions made with Mastercard-branded credit, debit and prepaid cards, as well as digital payment methods.

The company provides technology for authorizing, clearing and settling transactions. It also offers services related to cybersecurity, identity verification, data analytics, fraud prevention and payment consulting.

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