Equitable Holdings Inc. lowered its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA – Free Report) by 21.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 9,773 shares during the period. Equitable Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $18,841,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 820.0% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA bought a new stake in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial boosted its position in Mastercard by 113.8% during the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Mastercard News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Mastercard has restarted international card-payment services in Syria for the first time in roughly 15 years after regulatory changes, potentially reopening transaction-volume opportunities in the country. Visa is also entering the market, limiting Mastercard’s ability to capture the opportunity exclusively. Visa, Mastercard begin first Syria global card payments in years
- Positive Sentiment: A new partnership with Asia-Pacific travel-experiences platform Klook aims to provide Mastercard cardholders with travel benefits and create additional spending touchpoints as experience-led tourism expands across the region. The initiative could support cross-border payments and customer engagement, although financial terms were not disclosed. Klook and Mastercard collaborate to enhance travelers’ experiences across Asia Pacific
- Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard said CFO Ling Hai will speak at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 10. The presentation may offer updates on growth, travel spending and digital payments, but it does not change current financial guidance. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference
- Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s name appears as a supporter of a Ripple XRPL hackathon, highlighting continued interest in blockchain development. However, the event is not evidence of a major XRP or XRPL commercial rollout by Mastercard. Mastercard’s Name Is on the Ripple Hackathon, But Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself
- Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary argues that Mastercard’s strong earnings profile and roughly 61% net margin are already reflected in the stock’s elevated valuation. The shares’ retreat after nearing their high may therefore reflect profit-taking and concern that further gains require continued strong execution. Mastercard’s Record Stalls With 61% Margin Already Priced In
Mastercard Trading Down 1.2%
Mastercard (NYSE:MA – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.
Mastercard Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.14%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Mastercard from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $701.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $664.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $664.71.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Mastercard
Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard
In other Mastercard news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total transaction of $1,047,276.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,702,934.17. This represents a 10.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,357 shares of company stock worth $40,637,262. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
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.
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