Mastercard Incorporated $MA Stock: SFM LLC d b a Sweeney Financial Advisors Trims Stake

SFM LLC d b a Sweeney Financial Advisors reduced its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 34.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,404 shares during the period. SFM LLC d b a Sweeney Financial Advisors’ holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,471,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Sanders Morris Harris LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,361,000. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $795,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Investment Planning Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 30.2% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Planning Advisors Inc. now owns 685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 731 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $403,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded down $2.41 on Wednesday, reaching $602.39. 3,240,253 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,512,358. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $574.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $533.48. The firm has a market cap of $527.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.76. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $464.52 and a 1-year high of $606.61.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.15 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.90 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.14%.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Mastercard’s upcoming third-quarter report to show double-digit earnings growth. The company’s latest quarter exceeded consensus estimates for both revenue and EPS, reinforcing expectations for continued operating momentum. Mastercard earnings expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is expanding into digital assets through a crypto-linked card program in Mexico with SoFi Tech Solutions and Orbi. The offering lets users spend fiat or cryptocurrency while merchants receive traditional currency, potentially increasing transaction volume on Mastercard’s network. Mastercard Orbi crypto card program
• Positive Sentiment: A new Open USD stablecoin initiative on Solana positions Mastercard for blockchain-based settlement and cross-border payments. The company also announced an Africa cybersecurity center and an Asia-Pacific fleet-payments network with WEX, broadening its commercial and emerging-market growth opportunities. Mastercard stablecoin initiative
• Positive Sentiment: Technical coverage highlights Mastercard’s sustained rally, movement above key buy points and potential for a longer-term breakout. Several analysts maintain bullish ratings, with a reported consensus price target materially above recent trading levels. Mastercard technical breakout analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Julius Genachowski sold shares in two transactions totaling roughly $435,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sales reduce his holdings but are less significant as a discretionary bearish signal because they were scheduled in advance. Mastercard insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Mastercard and Visa reportedly face a £700 million U.K. class action concerning post-Brexit fees. Although the ultimate financial impact is uncertain, the litigation creates a potential regulatory and liability overhang for MA. Visa and Mastercard U.K. class action

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MA. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $655.00 to $720.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $597.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $680.00 to $713.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Mastercard from $580.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $681.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Sachin Mehra sold 3,266 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $584.00, for a total transaction of $1,907,344.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 36,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,403,600. The trade was a 8.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 370 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.21, for a total transaction of $218,377.70. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,861,559.77. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. 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 68,359 shares of company stock valued at $39,290,046 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses. The company facilitates the authorization, clearing and settlement of electronic payment transactions, while generally not issuing cards or extending credit itself. Its network supports payments made in stores, online and through mobile devices.

Mastercard’s products and services include consumer and commercial payment cards, digital payment solutions, payment processing, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, identity verification, data and analytics, and open banking tools.