Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Bought by Mufg Securities Americas Inc.

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 7.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,302 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,772 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises 0.6% of Mufg Securities Americas Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Mufg Securities Americas Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $12,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 820.0% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA purchased a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of MA stock opened at $595.51 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $549.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $519.62. 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 market capitalization of $521.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.72. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $464.52 and a fifty-two week high of $601.62.

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. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.15 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

More Mastercard News

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Mastercard from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $629.00 to $642.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $664.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.73, for a total value of $1,047,276.21. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,702,934.17. This represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,793,880. This trade represents a 5.68% 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 have sold 71,357 shares of company stock worth $40,637,262 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.