Guardian Partners Inc. Sells 6,183 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Guardian Partners Inc. reduced its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 25.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,475 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 6,183 shares during the quarter. Guardian Partners Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $9,489,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Saiph Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 25.6% in the 2nd quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 1,835 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $943,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 6.0% during the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 96,299 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $49,459,000 after buying an additional 5,421 shares during the period. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter valued at $579,000. Able Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.1% in the second quarter. Able Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,890 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% in the second quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $581,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $701.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $631.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $597.00 price objective on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $661.93.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $580.26 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $538.80 and its 200 day moving average is $518.06. 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 3.96, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $508.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.92, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.72.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 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 the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The firm’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.15 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is 19.14%.

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is positioning its network for “agentic payments,” in which artificial-intelligence agents make purchases for consumers. Its participation in the Agentic Payments Alliance and CEO Michael Miebach’s comments suggest the company is working to establish standards and capture transaction volume from this emerging market. How Mastercard CEO is preparing for a world where AI agents do the shopping
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard’s latest quarterly results showed earnings per share of $5.04 and revenue of $9.28 billion, exceeding analyst estimates. Revenue increased 14.1% year over year, reinforcing the company’s growth and profitability profile.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $661.93. However, valuation assessments are mixed: some intrinsic-value models indicate upside, while earnings-based measures suggest MA trades at a premium. Can Mastercard stay cheap as AI payments expand?
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard appointed Yasemin Bedir as president of its Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The change could support regional expansion, but no immediate financial impact was announced. Mastercard appoints Yasemin Bedir as EEMEA president
• Negative Sentiment: A reported UK legal ruling could make millions of people eligible for approximately £70 in compensation related to Mastercard card-fee claims. The potential financial liability and scope of the case remain unclear, but the development adds litigation risk. Mastercard ruling as millions could get compensation
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Business Officer Sachin J. Mehra sold 8,444 shares for roughly $4.87 million across August 19–20. The trades were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their significance as a discretionary bearish signal, although they may weigh modestly on sentiment. Mastercard insider trading filing

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 1,977 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owned 16,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,702,934.17. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider J. Mehra Sachin sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.07, for a total value of $572,070.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 39,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,834,746.12. This trade represents a 2.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 71,357 shares of company stock valued at $40,637,262 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.