Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Position Cut by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP lessened its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,698,735 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 302,847 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 1.1% of Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 1.45% of Mastercard worth $6,522,070,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,594,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 2,548 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Betterment LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Betterment LLC now owns 947 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 35.8% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 677,204 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $380,548,000 after purchasing an additional 178,387 shares during the period. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard during the second quarter worth approximately $431,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of MA opened at $595.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $464.52 and a one year high of $601.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $521.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $549.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $519.62.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%.The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.15 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Mastercard News Roundup

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on MA. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings raised Mastercard from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $701.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $685.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $664.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total value of $2,440,926.80. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 31,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,781,695.49. This trade represents a 12.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 71,357 shares of company stock valued at $40,637,262. Corporate insiders own 0.09% 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.