Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Purchased by Willis Investment Counsel

Key Points

• Willis Investment Counsel increased its Mastercard stake by 6.2% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 31,995 shares worth approximately $17.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 97.28% of the company.
• Mastercard shares rose 0.8% to $621.37, near their 52-week high, while the company reported quarterly EPS and revenue above analyst expectations. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $682.66.
• Mastercard declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.48 payout and a 0.6% yield. CFO Ling Hai also sold about $2.7 million in shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.

Willis Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 6.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,995 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,877 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel's holdings in Mastercard were worth $17,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fundsmith LLP bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth $639,458,000. Corient Private Wealth LP grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 147.2% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 1,682,183 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $863,969,000 after purchasing an additional 1,001,671 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 295.8% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 860,011 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $441,702,000 after purchasing an additional 642,724 shares during the period. SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in Mastercard in the first quarter valued at about $293,574,000. Finally, Soroban Capital Partners LP increased its holdings in Mastercard by 30.5% in the first quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 2,464,499 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,231,412,000 after purchasing an additional 575,412 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of MA traded up $4.96 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $621.37. The stock had a trading volume of 1,278,185 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,501,281. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $624.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $577.08 and a 200 day moving average of $536.11. The company has a market cap of $544.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.76.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.15 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. President Capital increased their target price on Mastercard from $693.00 to $729.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their target price on Mastercard from $710.00 to $688.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on Mastercard from $680.00 to $713.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on Mastercard from $640.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $597.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $682.66.

Key Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard introduced Stablecoin Security, an API that combines payment and blockchain intelligence to screen for fraud, scams and sanctions exposure before funds move on-chain. The product could reduce institutional concerns about stablecoins, accelerate adoption and create new risk-management revenue opportunities. Mastercard introduces risk intelligence to enable more secure stablecoin payments
• Positive Sentiment: The company also launched a Global Money Platform integrating stablecoins with traditional currencies for cross-border payments. This expands Mastercard’s potential role beyond card transactions as digital-asset payments gain traction. Mastercard expands stablecoin reach with new money platform
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard unveiled an AI-powered Agent Detection Score to identify transactions initiated by software rather than people. The tool may help manage fraud and trust risks as autonomous shopping agents become more common. Mastercard unveils AI Agent Detection Score
• Positive Sentiment: New or expanded partnerships in East Africa, Pakistan and commercial-payment software, along with Mastercard-branded debit infrastructure for Finsei, support the company’s long-term transaction-volume growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: U.S. officials are pressing China for independent market access for Mastercard’s network. Success could unlock substantial growth, but the timing and outcome remain uncertain. U.S. officials press China on market access
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Ling Hai sold 4,317 shares worth approximately $2.7 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction modestly weighs on sentiment, although scheduled insider selling is not necessarily a signal of weaker fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Mastercard’s valuation is elevated near its 52-week high, leaving the stock sensitive to any slowdown in growth or disappointment ahead of upcoming earnings.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, CFO Ling Hai sold 4,317 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $620.00, for a total value of $2,676,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,165,000. This represents a 10.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,372 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.00, for a total value of $8,838,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,693 shares in the company, valued at $53,873,475. This represents a 14.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 72,676 shares of company stock valued at $41,966,586 over the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated NYSE: MA is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses. The company facilitates electronic payments and provides technology that supports transactions conducted through credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payment products.

In addition to operating its payments network, Mastercard offers services in areas such as payment security, fraud prevention, authentication, cybersecurity, data and analytics, loyalty programs, digital identity and open banking.

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