Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA – Free Report) by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 264,679 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,403 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $135,939,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in Mastercard by 53,535.0% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 72,597,097 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $41,444,231,000 after buying an additional 72,461,743 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Mastercard by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,580,374 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,807,283,000 after acquiring an additional 997,536 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,686,605 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,773,153,000 after acquiring an additional 349,369 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,964,658 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $10,256,368,000 after acquiring an additional 759,584 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,046,550 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,160,657,000 after acquiring an additional 123,528 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.
Mastercard Price Performance
Shares of NYSE MA opened at $589.32 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $551.25 and a 200 day moving average of $519.86. The firm has a market cap of $516.25 billion, a PE ratio of 32.42, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.71. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $464.52 and a one year high of $601.62.
Mastercard Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.14%.
Key Mastercard News
Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:
- Positive Sentiment: AI-powered payments: Mastercard joined Visa, Fiserv and other companies in forming the Agentic Payments Alliance, which aims to establish standards for payments initiated by artificial-intelligence agents. Common rules could help Mastercard capture emerging transaction volume while reducing fragmentation and security concerns. Visa, Mastercard, and Fiserv Just Joined a Group Writing the Rules for AI Agent Payments
- Positive Sentiment: International expansion: Visa and Mastercard are working to simplify international money transfers, while Mastercard has reportedly processed the first global card payments in Syria. Broader cross-border payment capabilities and entry into a newly reopened market could support long-term transaction growth, although the immediate financial contribution is likely modest. Visa and Mastercard Want to Simplify International Money Transfers Visa, Mastercard process first global payments in Syria
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst and investor support: Erste Group Bank raised its fiscal 2026 EPS forecast for Mastercard. Separately, one market commentary described MA as being near the lower end of its buy zone, suggesting bullish investors may consider a bull call spread. These reports reinforce the view that analysts remain constructive. Mastercard FY2026 EPS Forecast Boosted by Erste Group Bank Investors Can Tap This Spread On Mastercard; Stock In Buy Zone
- Positive Sentiment: Mastercard Lighthouse UAE selected six AI startups, potentially expanding the company’s pipeline of artificial-intelligence payment and commerce partnerships. Mastercard Lighthouse UAE Picks Six AI Startups
- Neutral Sentiment: A comparison with Evertec focuses on which financial-transaction-services stock offers better value. The coverage does not signal a fundamental change at Mastercard, but it highlights that MA’s roughly 32 price-to-earnings ratio leaves valuation important for investors. EVTC vs. MA: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
- Negative Sentiment: Mastercard has lagged the S&P 500 over the past year, raising concerns about relative performance despite bullish analyst expectations. With the stock near its 52-week high, investors may also demand continued earnings growth to justify its premium valuation. Is Mastercard Incorporated Stock Underperforming the S&P 500?
Insider Transactions at Mastercard
In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 16,628 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $567.68, for a total transaction of $9,439,383.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 115,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,806,033.28. This represents a 12.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,880. This trade represents a 5.68% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders sold a total of 71,357 shares of company stock worth $40,637,262 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Wolfe Research raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $664.00 to $667.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 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 report on Monday, August 3rd. Clear Str upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Mastercard from $670.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $666.64.
View Our Latest Report on Mastercard
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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