Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Sold by Sustainable Growth Advisers LP

Key Points

• Sustainable Growth Advisers LP cut its Mastercard position by 42% in the third quarter, selling 159,501 shares and retaining 220,367 shares valued at approximately $121.5 million. Institutional investors still own 97.28% of the company.
• Mastercard reported quarterly EPS of $5.04 and revenue of $9.28 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenue up 14.1% year over year. Analysts remain broadly bullish, assigning the stock a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $682.66.
• Several Mastercard insiders sold shares during the quarter under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, while the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, or $3.48 annualized, representing a 0.6% yield.

Sustainable Growth Advisers LP lowered its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 42.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 220,367 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 159,501 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for 1.3% of Sustainable Growth Advisers LP's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP's holdings in Mastercard were worth $121,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 7.3% in the first quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 139,844 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $70,089,000 after purchasing an additional 9,504 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in Mastercard by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 28,205 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $14,093,000 after buying an additional 1,434 shares in the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 105.1% in the 1st quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 12,834 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $6,412,000 after buying an additional 6,576 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in Mastercard by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,656,528 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $850,004,000 after buying an additional 82,793 shares during the period. Finally, SteelPeak Wealth LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 50.1% during the 1st quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 14,003 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $6,996,000 after buying an additional 4,675 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Sachin Mehra sold 3,266 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $584.00, for a total value of $1,907,344.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 36,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,403,600. This trade represents a 8.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Linda Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total value of $2,440,926.80. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 31,179 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,781,695.49. This trade represents a 12.07% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 68,359 shares of company stock worth $39,290,046. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 2.2%

MA stock opened at $616.36 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $539.93 billion, a PE ratio of 33.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $574.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $534.41. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $619.80. 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 (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.15 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.90 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MA. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on Mastercard from $680.00 to $713.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $710.00 to $688.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Mastercard from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $632.00 price target (up from $609.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $682.66.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and BVNK launched the Global Money Platform, a single-API infrastructure service enabling banks, fintechs and businesses to hold, convert and spend traditional currencies and stablecoins. The product is the first major integration since Mastercard acquired BVNK for $1.8 billion and could expand Mastercard’s role in cross-border payments, digital assets and enterprise settlement. Mastercard and BVNK launch Global Money Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Technical coverage said MA moved into a buy zone after extending its longest winning streak since 2023 and passing a key buy point. Momentum-focused investors may view the move toward record highs as confirmation of a potential longer-term breakout. Mastercard technical momentum analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly bullish, with Mastercard receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a target price above its recent trading level. Recent quarterly results also exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, supporting confidence in the company’s growth outlook. Wall Street views on Mastercard
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Julius Genachowski sold Mastercard shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The transaction modestly reduced his holdings but is less significant as a discretionary bearish signal because it was scheduled in advance. Mastercard director stock sale

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 the authorization, clearing and settlement of electronic payment transactions, while generally not issuing cards or extending credit itself. Its network supports payments made in stores, online and through mobile devices.

Mastercard's products and services include consumer and commercial payment cards, digital payment solutions, payment processing, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, identity verification, data and analytics, and open banking tools.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.