Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock Holdings Reduced by Simplicity Wealth LLC

Simplicity Wealth LLC decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 37.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,870 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 4,775 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,477,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in Mastercard by 17.0% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 296 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $168,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 10.7% during the third quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 684 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 28.1% during the third quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,897 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 574 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 5,201 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,958,000 after buying an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is weighing an investment in crypto infrastructure firm ZeroHash after acquisition talks fell through, signaling continued push into crypto rails and new revenue streams. Mastercard weighs investment in ZeroHash after $2 billion acquisition talks fall through
• Positive Sentiment: Partnership with Agoda to modernize travel loyalty programs could boost transaction volume and card usage in travel spend, supporting longer-term TPV growth. Agoda and Mastercard modernise loyalty programmes
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and iScore are studying a new scoring model for Egypt’s digital lending market, expanding addressable markets in MENA and potential data-driven revenue opportunities. Mastercard and iscore join forces to study building a new scoring model powering Egypt’s digital lending future
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming quarterly earnings scheduled for Thursday are the main near-term catalyst; investors will watch revenue, EPS vs. elevated expectations, and guidance. Mastercard (MA) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO commentary and company initiatives around AI and cybersecurity (calling AI a “cyber arms race”) highlight management focus on fraud/security — supportive long term but not an immediate revenue driver. Mastercard CEO Says AI Is Fueling a Cyber Arms Race With Hackers
• Neutral Sentiment: Announced hire of an Optus executive as VP of marketing and communications — a routine talent move to bolster regional marketing efforts. Mastercard appoints Optus exec as VP of marketing and comms
• Negative Sentiment: Brazil’s central bank ordered liquidation of a lender tied to the Banco Master group and Mastercard suspended related cards — a direct operational hit in Brazil that can depress TPV and raise short-term risk/uncertainty in the market. Brazil central bank liquidates Banco Master’s Will as Mastercard suspends cards
• Negative Sentiment: Founder of London fintech Guavapay quit ahead of a court battle with Mastercard, flagging litigation and regulatory risk tied to a partner/third-party dispute. London fintech Guavapay founder quits ahead of Mastercard court battle
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pieces comparing Visa and Mastercard tilt toward Visa as a more attractive pick (scale, margins, valuation), which can weigh on sentiment for MA shares. Visa vs. Mastercard: Which Payments Giant Looks More Attractive Now?

Mastercard Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE MA opened at $527.57 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $465.59 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $555.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $565.85. The company has a market cap of $473.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.86.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.31 by $0.07. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.28% and a return on equity of 202.03%. The business had revenue of $8.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.89 EPS. Mastercard’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 22.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $713.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $665.00 target price on shares of Mastercard and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $661.24.

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.