Insider Selling: Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Insider Sells 4,280 Shares

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total transaction of $2,440,926.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 31,179 shares in the company, valued at $17,781,695.49. The trade was a 12.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MA traded down $1.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $570.01. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,431,360 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,753,174. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The stock has a market cap of $503.65 billion, a PE ratio of 31.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $517.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $514.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.77 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.15 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid 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 Thursday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.14%.

Mastercard News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stablecoin strategy advances: Mastercard completed its acquisition of BVNK for up to $1.8 billion and is partnering with Borderless.xyz to explore trusted cross-border stablecoin payments. The moves strengthen Mastercard’s digital-asset infrastructure and could create new payment and settlement revenue opportunities with banks and businesses. Mastercard completes BVNK acquisition Mastercard and Borderless.xyz stablecoin partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Fiserv partnership expands merchant reach: Mastercard will integrate its advanced merchant services with Fiserv’s Commerce Hub, giving enterprise merchants a unified connection across online, mobile and in-store channels. The agreement may increase Mastercard’s exposure to commercial payments and value-added services. Fiserv and Mastercard deepen global partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive: Cantor Fitzgerald reportedly maintained an overweight rating while raising its price target to $695 from $650. The positive outlook follows Mastercard’s latest quarterly beat, in which revenue rose 14.1% year over year and EPS exceeded consensus expectations. Cantor Fitzgerald Mastercard outlook
• Positive Sentiment: International and premium-card initiatives add growth potential: Mastercard and AFS are launching corporate cards in the UAE and Egypt, while expanded premium travel benefits and a new Taste by Priceless dining club in Hong Kong aim to increase cardholder engagement and spending. Mastercard and AFS corporate cards
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary highlights continued cross-border payment growth and strategic expansion, but warns that higher technology costs and pressure on consumer spending could weigh on margins across payment companies. Financial transaction stocks amid rising technology costs
• Negative Sentiment: CEO stock sales create a modest overhang: CEO Michael Miebach sold 33,256 shares for roughly $19.1 million across two transactions, reducing his direct holdings substantially. Both sales were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which limits their significance as a signal about Mastercard’s outlook. Mastercard CEO SEC filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Mastercard from $665.00 to $685.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $640.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $605.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $661.93.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Belpointe Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 6,759 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,472,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.5% during the second quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,089 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,073,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 4.9% in the second quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,072 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $551,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Solidarity Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Mastercard by 0.6% in the second quarter. Solidarity Wealth LLC now owns 21,377 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,979,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 176.0% in the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,164 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $12,924,000 after acquiring an additional 16,047 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

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.