Empowered Funds LLC Boosts Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 94,757 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,424 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $47,346,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 820.0% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA bought a new position in Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. First Pacific Financial raised its stake in Mastercard by 113.8% in the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Mastercard from $561.00 to $554.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $631.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $735.00 to $675.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $653.65.

Mastercard Stock Up 2.2%

Mastercard stock opened at $551.51 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $509.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $514.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56. The firm has a market cap of $487.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.73. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.26 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.88% and a return on equity of 212.96%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.73 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 3,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total transaction of $1,047,276.21. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,702,934.17. The trade was a 10.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,005 shares of company stock worth $3,689,976. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Scam-prevention initiatives could support growth and trust. Mastercard is strengthening its defenses against scams, a move that may improve consumer confidence, reinforce relationships with financial institutions and support the value of its payment network. Mastercard bolsters scam defense
• Positive Sentiment: Potential Vocalink sale is drawing investor attention. A possible sale of Vocalink could allow Mastercard to monetize an asset and sharpen its strategic focus, although the financial impact will depend on transaction terms and execution. The company’s recent earnings momentum is another supportive factor for shareholders. Potential Vocalink Sale and Earnings Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Expectations remain constructive ahead of earnings. Analysts’ estimates for Mastercard’s June 2026 quarter and key operating metrics are being closely monitored. The upcoming report is expected to provide insight into payment volumes, cross-border activity and consumer spending. Mastercard Q2 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Visa and Mastercard earnings will offer an industry read-through. Investors are watching both companies’ results for evidence of the health of consumer spending and cross-border transactions, which could create volatility for MA depending on the reported trends. Visa and Mastercard earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard launched a U.S.-dollar corporate debit card with Egypt’s National Bank, expanding its commercial-payments presence in the region. Egypt corporate debit card launch
• Negative Sentiment: Truist issued a pessimistic forecast for MA shares. The bearish outlook presents a counterweight to the positive earnings expectations and could limit upside if Mastercard’s results or guidance disappoint. Truist forecast for Mastercard

Mastercard 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.