Walter Public Investments Inc. Sells 21,477 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Key Points

• Walter Public Investments Inc. cut its Mastercard stake by 48.4% in the first quarter, selling 21,477 shares and leaving it with 22,927 shares worth about $11.46 million.
• Mastercard also saw insider selling: Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, reducing their position by 10.74%.
• The company remains on solid footing, with strong quarterly results that beat expectations and a new quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, while analysts continue to rate the stock a consensus Buy.

Walter Public Investments Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 48.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,927 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 21,477 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises approximately 2.7% of Walter Public Investments Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Walter Public Investments Inc.'s holdings in Mastercard were worth $11,456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd raised its position in Mastercard by 7.3% during 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 period. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,113,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 229,299 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $130,902,000 after purchasing an additional 9,795 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 396.3% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 46,145 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,343,000 after buying an additional 36,848 shares during the period. Finally, Marble Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at $1,328,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of Mastercard 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at $8,702,934.17. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $539.00 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $497.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $518.96. The company has a market capitalization of $476.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.73. 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 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.26 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The business's revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.73 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on MA shares. Raymond James Financial set a $609.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $679.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Mastercard from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $600.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Mastercard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $561.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $653.81.

Key Mastercard News

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

Mastercard Company Profile

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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