Flputnam Investment Management Co. Sells 7,339 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Flputnam Investment Management Co. lowered its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 17.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 35,348 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 7,339 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $18,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 3.0% in the second quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 3,070 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,577,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA now owns 147,633 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $75,824,000 after buying an additional 1,480 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 264,679 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $135,939,000 after buying an additional 7,403 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 9,573 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,917,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Rational Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Rational Advisors Inc. now owns 322 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $165,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Mastercard from $629.00 to $642.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $632.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen cut Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Mastercard from $664.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a “buy” 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 given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $664.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 16,628 shares of the company’s 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider J. Mehra Sachin sold 7,444 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.13, for a total transaction of $4,296,155.72. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 40,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,613,851.08. This 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. Insiders sold 71,357 shares of company stock valued at $40,637,262 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and QNB Group processed Syria’s first international card transaction in more than 15 years. The milestone marks the reopening and modernization of Syria’s international payments infrastructure following the lifting of certain U.S. restrictions. Although the near-term financial contribution is likely to be small, the development creates a potential new market and demonstrates Mastercard’s ability to support payments expansion. Syria marks first international card transaction in more than 15 years with Mastercard and QNB Group
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have given Mastercard a consensus “Buy” rating. Continued Wall Street support adds to the bullish backdrop, though the rating itself may already be reflected in the share price. Mastercard Incorporated Given Consensus Rating of Buy by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman added Mastercard to the hedge fund’s portfolio. The purchase may improve investor sentiment by signaling confidence from a prominent long-term investor, although it does not change Mastercard’s operating outlook. Bill Ackman Just Made His Biggest Portfolio Overhaul in Years
• Positive Sentiment: A partnership with Klook targets growing travel and experiences spending across Asia Pacific. Mastercard cardholder benefits and additional travel-related payment touchpoints could support transaction volume in a high-growth region. Klook and Mastercard collaborate to enhance travelers’ experiences across Asia Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard will participate in the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 10, where CFO Ling Hai is scheduled to speak. Investors may look for updates on growth, margins and capital allocation, but no new financial information was provided. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s name appears as a supporter of an XRPL/Ripple hackathon, but reports caution that the sponsorship does not represent a new cryptocurrency partnership or major product launch. Mastercard’s Name Is on the Ripple Hackathon, But Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $595.51 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $521.67 billion, a PE ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $464.52 and a 1-year high of $601.62. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $549.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $519.62.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 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 company’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.14%.

Mastercard 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.