Greenleaf Trust Trims Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Greenleaf Trust decreased its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 4.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 26,384 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,205 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its position in Mastercard by 20.0% in the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 695 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $387,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Athena Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Athena Wealth Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Novem Group increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Novem Group now owns 4,680 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,404,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vista Capital Partners Inc. raised its holdings in Mastercard by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 444 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Clear Str upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 29th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $597.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group upped 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. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $554.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $664.71.

Key Stories Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and QNB Group processed Syria’s first international card transaction in more than 15 years. The milestone marks the reopening and modernization of Syria’s international payments infrastructure following the lifting of certain U.S. restrictions. Although the near-term financial contribution is likely to be small, the development creates a potential new market and demonstrates Mastercard’s ability to support payments expansion. Syria marks first international card transaction in more than 15 years with Mastercard and QNB Group
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have given Mastercard a consensus “Buy” rating. Continued Wall Street support adds to the bullish backdrop, though the rating itself may already be reflected in the share price. Mastercard Incorporated Given Consensus Rating of Buy by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman added Mastercard to the hedge fund’s portfolio. The purchase may improve investor sentiment by signaling confidence from a prominent long-term investor, although it does not change Mastercard’s operating outlook. Bill Ackman Just Made His Biggest Portfolio Overhaul in Years
• Positive Sentiment: A partnership with Klook targets growing travel and experiences spending across Asia Pacific. Mastercard cardholder benefits and additional travel-related payment touchpoints could support transaction volume in a high-growth region. Klook and Mastercard collaborate to enhance travelers’ experiences across Asia Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard will participate in the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 10, where CFO Ling Hai is scheduled to speak. Investors may look for updates on growth, margins and capital allocation, but no new financial information was provided. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s name appears as a supporter of an XRPL/Ripple hackathon, but reports caution that the sponsorship does not represent a new cryptocurrency partnership or major product launch. Mastercard’s Name Is on the Ripple Hackathon, But Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself

Mastercard Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of MA opened at $595.51 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $549.15 and its 200 day moving average is $519.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $464.52 and a 12-month high of $601.62. The company has a market capitalization of $521.67 billion, a PE ratio of 32.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.72.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The company’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.15 EPS. Research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.14%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, 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 sale, the insider directly owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 4,828 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.00, for a total transaction of $2,534,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,625,225. The trade was a 22.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 71,357 shares of company stock valued at $40,637,262 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard 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.