North Dakota State Investment Board Buys 820 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

North Dakota State Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 24,741 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 0.5% of North Dakota State Investment Board’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $13,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlatl Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC now owns 586 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,122 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,170,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Athena Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Novem Group boosted its holdings 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 valued at $2,404,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vista Capital Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 444 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other Mastercard news, insider Sachin Mehra sold 7,444 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.13, for a total transaction of $4,296,155.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 40,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,613,851.08. This trade represents a 15.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Linda Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 31,179 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders sold 72,676 shares of company stock worth $41,966,586 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on MA. Dbs Bank raised shares of Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $642.00 to $696.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $710.00 to $688.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $632.00 price target (up from $609.00) on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $683.94.

Key Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Favorable earnings setup: JPMorgan analysts see potential upside from durable consumer spending, accelerating international transactions and demand for cybersecurity services, particularly after Visa’s solid results. Analyst Signals Favorable Earnings Setup for Mastercard After Visa’s Results
• Positive Sentiment: Expectations for another beat: Analysts and market coverage point to expanding cross-border activity and growth in value-added services as potential drivers of revenue and earnings above consensus, although higher expenses remain a consideration. Mastercard Looks Poised for a Q3 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion of payment capabilities: Mastercard is extending its reach through Google Pay in Nigeria, embedded B2B payments with Tech Mahindra, and Mastercard Max, a platform designed to help Asia-Pacific issuers promote card benefits. These initiatives could support longer-term transaction and services growth. Mastercard and Interswitch Bring Google Pay to Nigeria
• Neutral Sentiment: Stablecoin opportunity remains developing: Mastercard’s Global Money Platform and stablecoin-related initiatives broaden its addressable market, but the company acknowledges that conversions between fiat currencies and stablecoins can limit the speed and benefits of these payments. The Stablecoin Sandwich
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation raises the bar: Mastercard’s recent rally and record-level trading mean the upcoming report must demonstrate sustained double-digit growth to justify the stock’s premium valuation. Management is also scheduled to participate in two November investor conferences. What Mastercard’s Quarter Has to Prove
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Mastercard and Visa face potential UK class actions seeking approximately £5 billion over alleged excessive card-payment fees. While the financial impact and outcome remain uncertain, the litigation could pressure future interchange economics. Visa and Mastercard Face UK Lawsuit Over Card Fees

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $610.57 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $584.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $535.55. The company has a market cap of $534.86 billion, a PE ratio of 33.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.76. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $464.52 and a twelve month high of $633.29.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released 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. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.91 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 19.14%.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses. The company facilitates electronic payments and provides technology that supports transactions conducted through credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payment products.

In addition to operating its payments network, Mastercard offers services in areas such as payment security, fraud prevention, authentication, cybersecurity, data and analytics, loyalty programs, digital identity and open banking.