Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 82,145 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 7,622 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $41,044,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 820.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA purchased a new position in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. First Pacific Financial boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 113.8% in the 1st quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Mastercard to $680 from $660 and kept an “Outperform” rating, citing expectations for revenue growth acceleration in the coming quarters. Baird Raises PT on Mastercard (MA) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage on Mastercard with an “Overweight” rating and a $640 price target, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock. Barclays Initiates Mastercard (MA) Coverage at Overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard continues to expand partnerships and product usage, including RAKBANK strengthening its relationship with Mastercard, Kraken rolling out a Mastercard crypto debit card in the UK and Europe, and new consumer perks such as NordVPN access. RAKBANK and Mastercard strengthen strategic relationship to drive payments innovation
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard’s shares have been trading higher recently as the company benefits from broader strength in financial stocks and a positive earnings backdrop from its last report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard is reportedly considering selling a majority stake in its UK payments subsidiary Vocalink, a move that could free up capital and reduce regulatory overhang, but it also raises questions about its long-term strategy in a key infrastructure asset. Mastercard examines sale of UK payments subsidiary Vocalink
• Neutral Sentiment: The House passed a bill that would restrict payment card networks from requiring firearm-related merchant category codes, which could create compliance changes for Mastercard, though the financial impact is still uncertain. Congress Vote: The House has passed H.R. 1181 – Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act
• Negative Sentiment: Citi ThankYou Mastercard losing JetBlue as a transfer partner could make that card less attractive to some consumers, potentially pressuring associated card economics and brand appeal. Citi ThankYou Mastercard Loses JetBlue as a Transfer Partner

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,702,934.17. This represents a 10.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 3,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $538.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $476.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $501.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $516.55. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $464.52 and a 1-year high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.73 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 20.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Mastercard from $656.00 to $629.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler started coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $597.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BNP Paribas Exane raised Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $600.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $653.78.

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.