Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Has $17.32 Million Stake in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 33,733 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,735 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $17,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Interchange Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 39.1% in the second quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,439 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,280,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares in the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 149,615 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $76,842,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. Owl Creek Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Owl Creek Wealth Partners LLC now owns 799 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $410,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 25.4% in the 2nd quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC now owns 784 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 2.1% during the second quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 16,220 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,331,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MA. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Susquehanna reduced 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $605.00 target price for the company. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $631.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $661.93.

Mastercard Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $567.50 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $528.81 and a 200-day moving average of $516.18. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $464.52 and a 52-week high of $601.77. The stock has a market cap of $497.14 billion, a PE ratio of 31.22, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.77 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.15 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.82 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman adds Mastercard to Pershing Square portfolios: Ackman identified Mastercard as one of six new holdings, alongside Visa and Netflix. His view that the companies can deliver strong earnings growth provides a high-profile endorsement and may increase investor interest in MA. Reuters article on Ackman’s new investments
• Positive Sentiment: Potential upside from agentic commerce: Investors are assessing whether AI agents that initiate and authenticate transactions could expand Mastercard’s higher-growth services business and allow the company to capture additional payment-related economics. Mastercard and agentic commerce article
• Positive Sentiment: Stablecoin payments pilot expands Mastercard’s digital strategy: Mastercard and Borderless.xyz launched a cross-border stablecoin payments pilot using Mastercard Crypto Credential standards, potentially supporting future transaction growth while emphasizing compliance and verification. Mastercard stablecoin payments pilot
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings expectations remain constructive: Erste Group Bank raised its fiscal-year EPS forecast for Mastercard to $19.92 from $19.66, above the broader consensus estimate of $19.82. Recent results also showed double-digit revenue growth and an earnings beat, reinforcing the company’s growth profile. Mastercard EPS estimate article
• Neutral Sentiment: Payments-sector backdrop is favorable: RBC reported that fintech and payments companies exceeded quarterly expectations amid solid consumer spending, a supportive environment for Mastercard’s transaction volumes. However, the report does not represent a company-specific forecast. RBC payments-sector analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and valuation risks remain: A pending UK Mastercard consumer lawsuit could result in compensation payments, while the stock’s elevated valuation leaves MA sensitive to weaker growth, regulatory pressure, or disappointing guidance. Mastercard lawsuit article

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider J. Mehra Sachin sold 3,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.87, for a total value of $1,715,610.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 40,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,398,632.92. This trade represents a 6.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 62,913 shares of company stock worth $35,769,036 in the last three months. Company 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.