Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Biondo Investment Advisors LLC

Biondo Investment Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 70,168 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,521 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 4.8% of Biondo Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $40,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MA. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 820.0% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 54.1% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Birchbrook Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of MA stock opened at $489.36 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $499.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $523.57. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $464.52 and a twelve month high of $601.77. The company has a market capitalization of $432.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.32, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.88% and a return on equity of 212.96%. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.73 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Dbs Bank raised Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Evercore reaffirmed a “negative” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Mastercard from $730.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $605.00 target price for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $656.04.

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard launched Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M), a new payment framework designed to let AI agents and autonomous machines make secure transactions, send micropayments, and settle across multiple payment types. The initiative is backed by more than 30 industry participants and includes crypto and fintech partners, which could open a new growth avenue in AI-powered commerce. Article: Mastercard Introduces Agent Pay for Machines to Enable Autonomous AI Transactions
• Positive Sentiment: A U.S. federal judge gave preliminary approval to Mastercard’s revised $38 billion swipe-fee settlement, moving a decades-long antitrust case closer to resolution. Investors may view this as reducing legal overhang, even though merchants remain unhappy and the final outcome is still pending. Article: Mastercard Incorporated (MA) gains 2% Over Preliminary Judicial Approval of $38 billion Swipe-Fee Settlement
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard also announced leadership changes, including Ling Hai moving into the CFO role and Sachin Mehra taking on a newly created Chief Business Officer position. This is more of a governance update than an immediate operating catalyst. Article: Mastercard announces leadership changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Cuba’s central bank said it will suspend all Visa and Mastercard transactions there after a processing partnership collapsed under U.S. sanctions pressure. The direct financial impact appears limited, but it highlights ongoing geopolitical and payment-network disruptions. Article: Cuba’s Central Bank to Suspend all Visa and Mastercard Transactions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary on Mastercard’s valuation notes that the stock has been under pressure over the past months and remains below key moving averages, suggesting investors are still cautious despite the positive news flow. Article: A Look At Mastercard (MA) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness

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.