Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Sold by Headlands Technologies LLC

Headlands Technologies LLC cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,950 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,126 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,029,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI-powered payments: Mastercard joined Visa, Fiserv and other companies in forming the Agentic Payments Alliance, which aims to establish standards for payments initiated by artificial-intelligence agents. Common rules could help Mastercard capture emerging transaction volume while reducing fragmentation and security concerns. Visa, Mastercard, and Fiserv Just Joined a Group Writing the Rules for AI Agent Payments
• Positive Sentiment: International expansion: Visa and Mastercard are working to simplify international money transfers, while Mastercard has reportedly processed the first global card payments in Syria. Broader cross-border payment capabilities and entry into a newly reopened market could support long-term transaction growth, although the immediate financial contribution is likely modest. Visa and Mastercard Want to Simplify International Money Transfers Visa, Mastercard process first global payments in Syria
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and investor support: Erste Group Bank raised its fiscal 2026 EPS forecast for Mastercard. Separately, one market commentary described MA as being near the lower end of its buy zone, suggesting bullish investors may consider a bull call spread. These reports reinforce the view that analysts remain constructive. Mastercard FY2026 EPS Forecast Boosted by Erste Group Bank Investors Can Tap This Spread On Mastercard; Stock In Buy Zone
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard Lighthouse UAE selected six AI startups, potentially expanding the company’s pipeline of artificial-intelligence payment and commerce partnerships. Mastercard Lighthouse UAE Picks Six AI Startups
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison with Evertec focuses on which financial-transaction-services stock offers better value. The coverage does not signal a fundamental change at Mastercard, but it highlights that MA’s roughly 32 price-to-earnings ratio leaves valuation important for investors. EVTC vs. MA: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Negative Sentiment: Mastercard has lagged the S&P 500 over the past year, raising concerns about relative performance despite bullish analyst expectations. With the stock near its 52-week high, investors may also demand continued earnings growth to justify its premium valuation. Is Mastercard Incorporated Stock Underperforming the S&P 500?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 4,828 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at $8,625,225. The trade was a 22.71% decrease in their position. The transaction 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, CEO Michael Miebach sold 16,628 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $567.68, for a total value of $9,439,383.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 115,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,806,033.28. The trade was a 12.54% 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 71,357 shares of company stock worth $40,637,262. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of several research reports. Clear Str upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $597.00 target price on the stock. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $631.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Mastercard from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $666.64.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.0%

MA opened at $589.32 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $551.25 and its 200-day moving average is $519.86. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $464.52 and a 52-week high of $601.62. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $516.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. The business 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.15 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

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.