Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Buys 94,843 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,608,437 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 94,843 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 0.9% of Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $918,353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MA. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 79,897,854 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $45,612,087,000 after buying an additional 466,514 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Mastercard by 2.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,580,374 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $20,807,283,000 after buying an additional 997,536 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Mastercard by 6.5% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,347,834 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,885,944,000 after acquiring an additional 629,941 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Mastercard by 4.2% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,806,887 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,303,015,000 after acquiring an additional 235,403 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Mastercard by 6.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,658,547 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,218,638,000 after acquiring an additional 339,137 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $611.00 to $590.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 15th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $685.00 price target on Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $659.00.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street expects earnings growth next week, boosting the prospect of an earnings beat that can drive the stock higher. MasterCard (MA) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets upgraded MA to “strong-buy,” a bullish signal from a major shop that can support buying interest. BMO Upgrade Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple business expansions and partnerships — e.g., KuCoin launching a Mastercard‑powered USDC payment card in Australia and new initiatives in South Africa and Sri Lanka — underscore network growth and new revenue streams. KuCoin Debuts Mastercard-Powered USDC Payment Card in Australia
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate sustainability and revenue progress: Mastercard reported continued revenue growth and emissions reductions, reinforcing the quality growth narrative investors like. Mastercard grows revenue, reduces emissions for third straight year
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary and bullish write-ups (including a positive thesis summarized on Yahoo Finance) highlight MA’s valuation vs. growth and keep buy-side interest elevated. Is Mastercard Incorporated (MA) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist lowered its price target from $611 to $590 but kept a “buy” rating — slightly less upside than before but still supportive. Truist Lowers PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation comparisons (PayPal vs. Mastercard) keep analysts debating relative value; these discussions can influence flows but are not an immediate catalyst. PYPL vs. MA: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal pressure: a new suit over card fees could increase litigation and regulatory scrutiny, creating a downside risk to margins and sentiment. Visa, Mastercard face new suit over card fees
• Negative Sentiment: Industry changes: reporting on a proposed Visa–Mastercard deal suggests merchants could gain tools to steer spending, which may pressure interchange revenue over time. Proposed Visa–Mastercard Deal Hands Merchants New Power to Steer Spending

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $504.58 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $449.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50 day moving average is $507.62 and its 200-day moving average is $537.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $480.50 and a 1-year high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.52. Mastercard had a return on equity of 203.92% and a net margin of 45.65%.The business had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.82 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 21.07%.

About Mastercard

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.