Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 155,665 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Mastercard by 6.1%, selling 155,665 shares; it now owns 2,378,452 shares (about 0.26% of Mastercard) worth roughly $1.36 billion, making MA its 27th-largest position.
• Mastercard reported a strong Q1 beat—EPS $4.60 vs. $4.41 consensus and revenue $8.40B (+15.8% y/y)—and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 (annualized $3.48, ~0.7% yield), with analysts holding a consensus Buy rating and an average target around $657.
• Management is accelerating digital‑asset and AI initiatives (partnerships with MoonPay, Rain, KuCoin and the BVNK acquisition) to expand fee‑bearing services and address long‑term growth opportunities, though some analysts have trimmed near‑term price targets amid regionally uneven cross‑border trends.

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,378,452 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 155,665 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.7% of Principal Financial Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.26% of Mastercard worth $1,357,821,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. WT Wealth Management grew its position in Mastercard by 19.8% in the fourth quarter. WT Wealth Management now owns 5,613 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,204,000 after acquiring an additional 926 shares in the last quarter. Allegheny Financial Group grew its position in Mastercard by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Allegheny Financial Group now owns 643 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 115,091 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $65,703,000 after acquiring an additional 5,173 shares in the last quarter. Hidden Cove Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Hidden Cove Wealth Management LLC now owns 582 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Triasima Portfolio Management inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 2,482 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $505.43 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $506.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $535.86. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $480.50 and a twelve month high of $601.77. The company has a market cap of $450.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.25, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.73 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is 20.14%.

Mastercard News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat: Mastercard reported revenue up ~15.8% y/y and non-GAAP EPS that topped consensus, driven by volume and value‑added services — a core reason traders are bullish on near‑term momentum. MA Q1 Deep Dive: Cross-Border Headwinds and Value-Added Services Drive Diverging Trends
• Positive Sentiment: Accelerating digital‑asset strategy: Mastercard announced partnerships (MoonPay, Rain, KuCoin), extended crypto spending options, rolled out programmable/agent-initiated payment tools, and is acquiring BVNK to beef up on‑chain rails — actions that expand TAM and fee‑bearing services. Mastercard Deepens Digital Asset Push With Stablecoin And AI Payment Rails
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst / buy-case support: Some outlets and independent analysts are lifting Mastercard as a top pick post‑Q1, citing resilient fundamentals and a discounted entry after the pullback. Mastercard Is One Of Our Top Picks After Q1 Beat
• Neutral Sentiment: AI / agentic commerce context: Industry pieces note payment networks (including Mastercard) are building infrastructure for agentic commerce — a long‑term growth vector but one that will take time to monetise. Payment Networks Ready Infrastructure for Agentic Commerce at Scale
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term fundamentals: Deep‑dive analysis highlights strong ROE, high margins, and a shift into higher‑margin services (fraud/cyber, data analytics), supporting a constructive long‑term thesis despite macro noise. Mastercard And Its Real Value
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades / price‑target trims: Some firms have lowered targets after the post‑earnings move, which can cap near‑term upside and increase volatility. Royal Bank Of Canada Cuts Mastercard NYSE: MA Price Target to $629.00 Susquehanna Lowers Mastercard NYSE: MA Price Target to $665.00
• Negative Sentiment: Cross‑border / FX headwinds: Management noted cross‑border travel and FX dynamics are creating uneven trends across regions — a constraint on revenue mix and near‑term growth outlook despite the overall beat. MA Q1 Deep Dive: Cross-Border Headwinds and Value-Added Services Drive Diverging Trends

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on MA shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $679.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $605.00 price objective for the company. Macquarie Infrastructure upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $600.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $657.07.

About Mastercard

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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