QRG Capital Management Inc. Acquires 11,196 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 9.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 126,287 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,196 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises 0.7% of QRG Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $63,101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 79,897,854 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $45,612,087,000 after acquiring an additional 466,514 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 53,535.0% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 72,597,097 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $41,444,231,000 after acquiring an additional 72,461,743 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,580,374 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,807,283,000 after acquiring an additional 997,536 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,686,605 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,773,153,000 after acquiring an additional 349,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,964,658 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,256,368,000 after purchasing an additional 759,584 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.1%

Mastercard stock opened at $539.00 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $476.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.19, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.73. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $497.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $518.96.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.26 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 212.96% and a net margin of 45.88%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.73 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 20.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was 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 directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard announced new partnerships to expand digital and inclusive financial services, including a collaboration with VEON across Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. That supports the company’s international growth strategy and could increase future network usage and transaction volume. VEON and Mastercard Join Forces to Accelerate Accessibility of Financial Services
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard also said integrated payment systems could add meaningful tourism revenue, reinforcing the company’s role as a beneficiary of cross-border spending and digital payments adoption. Integrated payment systems could add €300 in annual tourism revenue – MasterCard
• Positive Sentiment: ZEN.COM launched Mastercard Click to Pay, reflecting rising demand for simpler online checkout experiences and another sign that Mastercard’s payment rails remain widely adopted by merchants and consumers. ZEN.COM Launches Mastercard Click to Pay as Consumer Demand for Simpler Online Payments Grows
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Mastercard’s strong earnings track record and suggested it could beat estimates again next quarter, which can support investor confidence ahead of the next report. Will MasterCard (MA) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat’s week-in-review coverage framed Mastercard as a steady, high-quality payments name, but it did not introduce any new company-specific catalyst beyond broader investor interest in defensive growth stocks. MarketBeat Week in Review – 06/29 – 07/03
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary on stablecoins and payments competition suggests the industry is evolving, but the articles generally portray Mastercard as well-positioned rather than under direct pressure. Is Mastercard (MA) Trading At A Premium Despite Stablecoin Moves?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Raj Seshadri sold shares on two separate days under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. While not necessarily a bearish signal on fundamentals, insider sales can still weigh on sentiment around the stock. SEC filing for insider sale

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Evercore reissued a “negative” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $590.00 to $561.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $730.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $653.81.

About Mastercard

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.