Private Advisor Group LLC Sells 5,279 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Private Advisor Group LLC reduced its Mastercard stake by 10.9% in the first quarter, selling 5,279 shares and leaving it with 42,967 shares worth about $21.5 million.
• Mastercard also saw an insider sale: Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares on July 2 under a pre-arranged trading plan, cutting her position by 10.74%.
• Analyst sentiment remains upbeat, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $653.81; the company also recently beat quarterly earnings and raised its dividend to $0.87 per share.

Private Advisor Group LLC decreased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 10.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,967 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 5,279 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $21,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 79,897,854 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $45,612,087,000 after purchasing an additional 466,514 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 53,535.0% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 72,597,097 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $41,444,231,000 after purchasing an additional 72,461,743 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Mastercard by 2.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,580,374 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $20,807,283,000 after buying an additional 997,536 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,686,605 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $11,773,153,000 after buying an additional 349,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its stake in Mastercard by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,964,658 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $10,256,368,000 after buying an additional 759,584 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total transaction of $1,047,276.21. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,702,934.17. This represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The transaction 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. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Loop Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $631.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $679.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore reiterated a "negative" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $653.81.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of MA opened at $539.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $476.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.19, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business's fifty day moving average price is $497.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $518.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 EPS 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 company had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.26 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.73 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.14%.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard announced new partnerships to expand digital and inclusive financial services, including a collaboration with VEON across Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. That supports the company’s international growth strategy and could increase future network usage and transaction volume. VEON and Mastercard Join Forces to Accelerate Accessibility of Financial Services
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard also said integrated payment systems could add meaningful tourism revenue, reinforcing the company’s role as a beneficiary of cross-border spending and digital payments adoption. Integrated payment systems could add €300 in annual tourism revenue - MasterCard
• Positive Sentiment: ZEN.COM launched Mastercard Click to Pay, reflecting rising demand for simpler online checkout experiences and another sign that Mastercard’s payment rails remain widely adopted by merchants and consumers. ZEN.COM Launches Mastercard Click to Pay as Consumer Demand for Simpler Online Payments Grows
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Mastercard’s strong earnings track record and suggested it could beat estimates again next quarter, which can support investor confidence ahead of the next report. Will MasterCard (MA) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat’s week-in-review coverage framed Mastercard as a steady, high-quality payments name, but it did not introduce any new company-specific catalyst beyond broader investor interest in defensive growth stocks. MarketBeat Week in Review – 06/29 - 07/03
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary on stablecoins and payments competition suggests the industry is evolving, but the articles generally portray Mastercard as well-positioned rather than under direct pressure. Is Mastercard (MA) Trading At A Premium Despite Stablecoin Moves?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Raj Seshadri sold shares on two separate days under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. While not necessarily a bearish signal on fundamentals, insider sales can still weigh on sentiment around the stock. SEC filing for insider sale

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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