Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Acquires New Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 131,606 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $67,593,000. Mastercard makes up about 1.3% of Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new position in Mastercard in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 820.0% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 113.8% in the 1st quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA opened at $595.51 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $464.52 and a 1-year high of $601.62. The stock has a market cap of $521.67 billion, a PE ratio of 32.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $549.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $519.51.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.15 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 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 $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is currently 19.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, insider J. Mehra Sachin sold 7,444 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.13, for a total transaction of $4,296,155.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 40,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,613,851.08. This represents a 15.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total value of $2,440,926.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 31,179 shares in the company, valued at $17,781,695.49. This represents a 12.07% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 71,357 shares of company stock valued at $40,637,262. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines 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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $597.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Mastercard from $629.00 to $642.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Mastercard from $670.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $631.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Mastercard from $664.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Five 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 MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $664.71.

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.