1,352 Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Sowell Financial Services LLC

Sowell Financial Services LLC reduced its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 31,220 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,352 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises about 0.5% of Sowell Financial Services LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $17,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MA. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Mastercard from $655.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Mastercard from $700.00 to $735.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty 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 MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $683.94.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

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 Trading Up 0.1%

MA stock opened at $610.57 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $534.86 billion, a PE ratio of 33.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.76. 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 $633.29. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $584.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $535.55.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.15 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, CFO Ling Hai sold 4,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $620.00, for a total transaction of $2,676,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,750 shares in the company, valued at $22,165,000. This represents a 10.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 371 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.01, for a total transaction of $217,038.71. Following the sale, the director owned 8,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,035,181.07. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold 72,676 shares of company stock worth $41,966,586 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Mastercard

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.