Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lowered its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 17.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 524,516 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 110,600 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.06% of Mastercard worth $269,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 139,844 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $70,089,000 after buying an additional 9,504 shares during the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 65,414 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,344,000 after purchasing an additional 3,768 shares during the last quarter. Marble Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,328,000. Charles Lim Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,699,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in Mastercard by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 28,205 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,093,000 after buying an additional 1,434 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $565.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The firm has a market cap of $495.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.09, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $562.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $522.82. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $464.52 and a 12-month high of $601.62.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.15 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $631.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $597.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $685.00 and gave the company an “outperform” 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $666.64.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI commerce expansion: Mastercard introduced tools that help merchants connect to AI shopping agents and build “agentic commerce” experiences. The initiatives could support future payment volume and reinforce Mastercard’s role in online transactions as autonomous purchasing develops. Mastercard gives merchants a simpler way to build, connect and scale AI-powered shopping experiences
• Positive Sentiment: Digital-wallet growth opportunity: Mastercard launched Wallet Pay to connect regional wallets with its global network across contactless, QR-code and online payments. With digital-wallet users projected to exceed 6 billion by 2030, the service could create additional cross-border transaction growth. Mastercard Launches Wallet Pay to Scale Digital Wallets Worldwide
• Positive Sentiment: Trust framework for AI payments: Mastercard, Visa and Ant International are developing “Know Your Agent” standards to identify and verify AI agents acting for consumers. Shared identity and fraud-prevention standards could make autonomous payments safer and more scalable across merchants. Payment firms Visa, Mastercard and Ant International team up on AI agent trust framework
• Positive Sentiment: New payment channels: Mastercard is partnering with Busha to enable digital-asset transfers in Nigeria and with City Union Bank in India on a single credential for multiple payment accounts. These initiatives broaden Mastercard’s reach in digital assets and account-linked payments. Mastercard and Busha bring trusted digital asset transfers to Nigeria
• Neutral Sentiment: Near-term catalyst remains limited: The announcements are primarily strategic and do not change current earnings estimates. Mastercard’s shares remain near their 12-month high and trade at roughly 31 times earnings, leaving the stock sensitive to profit-taking or broader market weakness.
• Negative Sentiment: Cannabis payments remain restricted: A Government Accountability Office review indicated that Visa and Mastercard are unlikely to change their cannabis-payment policies even if marijuana is moved to Schedule III, limiting a potential new transaction market. Visa and Mastercard Likely Won’t Change Cannabis-Payment Policies Under Schedule III

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Linda Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total transaction of $2,440,926.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 31,179 shares in the company, valued at $17,781,695.49. This represents a 12.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sachin Mehra sold 7,444 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.13, for a total value of $4,296,155.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 40,916 shares in the company, valued at $23,613,851.08. This trade represents a 15.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 74,623 shares of company stock worth $42,544,606. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) is a global technology company that operates a payments network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses. The company facilitates electronic payment transactions, including credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, by providing the infrastructure used to authorize, clear and settle transactions.

Mastercard’s products and services include its Mastercard-branded payment cards, digital payment tools, contactless payment technology and payment solutions for businesses and governments.