Washington Trust Bank Sells 3,118 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Washington Trust Bank reduced its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 36,022 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,118 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 1.3% of Washington Trust Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $18,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 7.1% in the second quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 40,610 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $20,857,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares in the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 7.9% during the second quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 24,302 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $12,482,000 after acquiring an additional 1,772 shares during the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan grew its stake in Mastercard by 4.0% during the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 187,006 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $96,046,000 after acquiring an additional 7,162 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 5.3% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,656,528 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $850,004,000 after acquiring an additional 82,793 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV bought a new stake in Mastercard in the 2nd quarter valued at $285,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider J. Mehra Sachin sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.07, for a total transaction of $572,070.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 39,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,834,746.12. This represents a 2.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 3,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,793,880. This represents a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 71,357 shares of company stock worth $40,637,262. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $597.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $701.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $664.71.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $595.51 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $549.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $519.62. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $601.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $521.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.72.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is 19.14%.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and QNB Group processed Syria’s first international card transaction in more than 15 years. The milestone marks the reopening and modernization of Syria’s international payments infrastructure following the lifting of certain U.S. restrictions. Although the near-term financial contribution is likely to be small, the development creates a potential new market and demonstrates Mastercard’s ability to support payments expansion. Syria marks first international card transaction in more than 15 years with Mastercard and QNB Group
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have given Mastercard a consensus “Buy” rating. Continued Wall Street support adds to the bullish backdrop, though the rating itself may already be reflected in the share price. Mastercard Incorporated Given Consensus Rating of Buy by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman added Mastercard to the hedge fund’s portfolio. The purchase may improve investor sentiment by signaling confidence from a prominent long-term investor, although it does not change Mastercard’s operating outlook. Bill Ackman Just Made His Biggest Portfolio Overhaul in Years
• Positive Sentiment: A partnership with Klook targets growing travel and experiences spending across Asia Pacific. Mastercard cardholder benefits and additional travel-related payment touchpoints could support transaction volume in a high-growth region. Klook and Mastercard collaborate to enhance travelers’ experiences across Asia Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard will participate in the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 10, where CFO Ling Hai is scheduled to speak. Investors may look for updates on growth, margins and capital allocation, but no new financial information was provided. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s name appears as a supporter of an XRPL/Ripple hackathon, but reports caution that the sponsorship does not represent a new cryptocurrency partnership or major product launch. Mastercard’s Name Is on the Ripple Hackathon, But Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself

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.