Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 155,665 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,378,452 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 155,665 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up approximately 0.7% of Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,357,821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Tacita Capital Inc boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Dagco Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Dagco Inc. now owns 66 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 627.3% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 80 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $505.43 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $450.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.76. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $506.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $535.86. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $480.50 and a 12-month high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.19. The business 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 last year, the company posted $3.73 EPS. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Dbs Bank raised shares of Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $739.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Daiwa Securities Group set a $610.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore reaffirmed a “negative” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $657.07.

Mastercard News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat: Mastercard reported revenue up ~15.8% y/y and non-GAAP EPS that topped consensus, driven by volume and value‑added services — a core reason traders are bullish on near‑term momentum. MA Q1 Deep Dive: Cross-Border Headwinds and Value-Added Services Drive Diverging Trends
• Positive Sentiment: Accelerating digital‑asset strategy: Mastercard announced partnerships (MoonPay, Rain, KuCoin), extended crypto spending options, rolled out programmable/agent-initiated payment tools, and is acquiring BVNK to beef up on‑chain rails — actions that expand TAM and fee‑bearing services. Mastercard Deepens Digital Asset Push With Stablecoin And AI Payment Rails
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst / buy-case support: Some outlets and independent analysts are lifting Mastercard as a top pick post‑Q1, citing resilient fundamentals and a discounted entry after the pullback. Mastercard Is One Of Our Top Picks After Q1 Beat
• Neutral Sentiment: AI / agentic commerce context: Industry pieces note payment networks (including Mastercard) are building infrastructure for agentic commerce — a long‑term growth vector but one that will take time to monetise. Payment Networks Ready Infrastructure for Agentic Commerce at Scale
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term fundamentals: Deep‑dive analysis highlights strong ROE, high margins, and a shift into higher‑margin services (fraud/cyber, data analytics), supporting a constructive long‑term thesis despite macro noise. Mastercard And Its Real Value
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades / price‑target trims: Some firms have lowered targets after the post‑earnings move, which can cap near‑term upside and increase volatility. Royal Bank Of Canada Cuts Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target to $629.00 Susquehanna Lowers Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target to $665.00
• Negative Sentiment: Cross‑border / FX headwinds: Management noted cross‑border travel and FX dynamics are creating uneven trends across regions — a constraint on revenue mix and near‑term growth outlook despite the overall beat. MA Q1 Deep Dive: Cross-Border Headwinds and Value-Added Services Drive Diverging Trends

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.