Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires 2,894 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 293,347 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,894 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for 1.1% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $150,663,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd boosted its position in Mastercard by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 139,844 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,089,000 after buying an additional 9,504 shares during the period. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan grew its stake in Mastercard by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 65,414 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $37,344,000 after acquiring an additional 3,768 shares in the last quarter. Marble Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,328,000. Charles Lim Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $15,699,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 5.4% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 28,205 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,093,000 after acquiring an additional 1,434 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider J. Mehra Sachin sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.87, for a total transaction of $1,715,610.00. Following the sale, the insider 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 16,628 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $567.68, for a total value of $9,439,383.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 115,921 shares in the company, valued at $65,806,033.28. This trade represents a 12.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 62,913 shares of company stock worth $35,769,036. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $605.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Clear Str raised Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $661.93.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $569.05 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $498.49 billion, a PE ratio of 31.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $530.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $516.48. 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 Incorporated has a 52-week low of $464.52 and a 52-week high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company 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%. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.15 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.14%.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman’s investment adds credibility: Pershing Square disclosed a new Mastercard position as part of its largest portfolio overhaul in years. Ackman’s stated focus on long-term earnings growth and Mastercard’s potential in agentic commerce is providing a positive sentiment catalyst. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Stablecoin expansion creates a new growth opportunity: Mastercard is making a major push into digital dollars and euros, positioning its network and services to benefit as stablecoins gain wider use in payments. This could expand transaction volumes and value-added services, although execution and regulatory risks remain. Motley Fool article
• Positive Sentiment: Digital-payments expansion in Africa: Mastercard and TeamApt announced a strategic collaboration to broaden digital payments across Africa, opening a potentially large market for payment acceptance and financial services. Mastercard and TeamApt article
• Positive Sentiment: Most Zacks Research revisions were favorable: FY2026 EPS estimates increased to $19.72 from $19.40, while FY2027 and FY2028 estimates rose to $22.34 and $25.74, respectively. Estimates for the first three quarters of fiscal 2027 were also raised, reinforcing expectations for continued earnings growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: An analyst described Mastercard as a rare growth-at-a-reasonable-price opportunity, citing double-digit revenue growth, strong margins, cybersecurity services and resilient consumer spending. However, the shares still trade at a premium valuation, making continued execution important. Seeking Alpha article
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $4.99 from $5.01 and Q4 2027 EPS to $5.92 from $6.27. These modest cuts introduce some near-term caution despite the higher full-year forecasts.

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.