Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Purchased by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

Key Points

• AEGON Asset Management UK increased its Mastercard stake by 21.4% in the third quarter, buying 13,393 shares to reach 75,894 shares valued at about $41.9 million.
• Mastercard reported quarterly EPS of $5.31, above the $5.17 consensus estimate, and revenue of $9.81 billion, up 14% year over year.
• Analysts’ average rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $705.67; Freedom Broker separately downgraded the stock to Hold.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 21.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 75,894 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 13,393 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Mastercard were worth $41,853,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Next Level Wealth Planning LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the third quarter worth $31,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter worth $34,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 58.7% during the third quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 73 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Premier Financial Group bought a new stake in Mastercard during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other 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: 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $655.32 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $574.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $594.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $539.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $464.52 and a 12 month high of $681.99.

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

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $701.00 price target (up from $674.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $695.00 to $765.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, President Capital upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $693.00 to $729.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $705.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 371 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 9th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 dated Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $642.43, for a total transaction of $2,774,012.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,750 shares in the company, valued at $22,966,872.50. The trade was a 10.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,403 shares of company stock valued at $15,428,736. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Company 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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