Lynx Investment Advisory Sells 2,698 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Lynx Investment Advisory reduced its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 38.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,267 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,698 shares during the quarter. Lynx Investment Advisory’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Mastercard by 1.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,964,305 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $18,984,867,000 after purchasing an additional 486,283 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 10.4% in the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,123,041 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,559,779,000 after buying an additional 480,725 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Mastercard by 1.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,225,359 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,111,216,000 after buying an additional 42,871 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Mastercard by 5.8% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 3,626,416 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,862,527,000 after buying an additional 199,424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 17.8% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,666,018 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,831,763,000 after buying an additional 554,366 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,372 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.00, for a total value of $8,838,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 93,693 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,873,475. The trade was a 14.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sachin Mehra sold 3,266 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $584.00, for a total transaction of $1,907,344.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 36,650 shares in the company, valued at $21,403,600. The trade was a 8.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 72,676 shares of company stock valued at $41,966,586 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.1%

Mastercard stock opened at $610.57 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $534.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.58, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.76. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $464.52 and a fifty-two week high of $633.29. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $584.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $535.55. 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 (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.15 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Mastercard from $642.00 to $696.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $665.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Dbs Bank upgraded Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $580.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $683.94.

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Favorable earnings setup: JPMorgan analysts see potential upside from durable consumer spending, accelerating international transactions and demand for cybersecurity services, particularly after Visa’s solid results. Analyst Signals Favorable Earnings Setup for Mastercard After Visa’s Results
• Positive Sentiment: Expectations for another beat: Analysts and market coverage point to expanding cross-border activity and growth in value-added services as potential drivers of revenue and earnings above consensus, although higher expenses remain a consideration. Mastercard Looks Poised for a Q3 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion of payment capabilities: Mastercard is extending its reach through Google Pay in Nigeria, embedded B2B payments with Tech Mahindra, and Mastercard Max, a platform designed to help Asia-Pacific issuers promote card benefits. These initiatives could support longer-term transaction and services growth. Mastercard and Interswitch Bring Google Pay to Nigeria
• Neutral Sentiment: Stablecoin opportunity remains developing: Mastercard’s Global Money Platform and stablecoin-related initiatives broaden its addressable market, but the company acknowledges that conversions between fiat currencies and stablecoins can limit the speed and benefits of these payments. The Stablecoin Sandwich
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation raises the bar: Mastercard’s recent rally and record-level trading mean the upcoming report must demonstrate sustained double-digit growth to justify the stock’s premium valuation. Management is also scheduled to participate in two November investor conferences. What Mastercard’s Quarter Has to Prove
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Mastercard and Visa face potential UK class actions seeking approximately £5 billion over alleged excessive card-payment fees. While the financial impact and outcome remain uncertain, the litigation could pressure future interchange economics. Visa and Mastercard Face UK Lawsuit Over Card Fees

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses. The company facilitates electronic payments and provides technology that supports transactions conducted through credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payment products.

In addition to operating its payments network, Mastercard offers services in areas such as payment security, fraud prevention, authentication, cybersecurity, data and analytics, loyalty programs, digital identity and open banking.