Strs Ohio Sells 75,650 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Strs Ohio trimmed its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 12.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 518,088 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 75,650 shares during the period. Mastercard comprises approximately 1.1% of Strs Ohio’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Strs Ohio owned approximately 0.06% of Mastercard worth $294,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. LGT Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Robbins Farley raised its holdings in Mastercard by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 45.2% in the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 61 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard’s partnership with Agoda to enable instant travel redemptions modernizes rewards and pushes the company deeper into experience-driven, digital-first loyalty — a growth avenue for card spend and fees. Does Mastercard’s Agoda Deal Mark a New Phase in Rewards?
• Positive Sentiment: Compass Point upgraded MA to Buy and raised its price target (reported via TheFly), a notable analyst endorsement that can support upside sentiment and institutional interest. Is Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) One of the Best S&P 500 Stocks to Look For in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Regional rollouts (e.g., Phuket smart buses accepting contactless Mastercard payments) continue to expand transaction volume and network relevance in travel and tourism markets. Phuket Smart Bus Adds Contactless Card Payments with Mastercard
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and iScore’s collaboration to study a new scoring model for Egypt signals growth in digital lending tools and data-driven services for emerging markets. Mastercard and iscore join forces to study building a new scoring model
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Mastercard’s upcoming earnings to show growth and position the company for a possible beat, increasing attention ahead of the report. MasterCard (MA) Earnings Expected to Grow
• Neutral Sentiment: Reminder: Mastercard will release quarterly results on Thursday — a near-term catalyst for volatility around guidance, volumes and cross-border travel recovery metrics. Mastercard (MA) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO comments about AI increasing cyber threats highlight operational risk focus and ongoing investment in security — relevant for long-term margin and technology spending. Mastercard CEO Says AI Is Fueling a Cyber Arms Race With Hackers
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/market disruption in Brazil: the central bank’s liquidation of a lender tied to Banco Master led Mastercard to suspend cards there — a near-term hit to volumes in that market and a reminder of geopolitical/regulatory tail risks. Brazil central bank liquidates Banco Master’s Will as Mastercard suspends cards
• Negative Sentiment: A founder resignation at fintech Guavapay ahead of a court battle involving Mastercard adds legal/PR uncertainty in that dispute. London fintech Guavapay founder quits ahead of Mastercard court battle
• Negative Sentiment: Notable investors trimming positions (reports of sell activity) and broader comparisons that favor Visa on valuation/margins can cap near-term multiple expansion. 4 Stocks Guy Spier Was Selling in Q4

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $713.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $665.00 price target on Mastercard and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $661.24.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of MA stock opened at $532.53 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40. The firm has a market cap of $478.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.05, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a 50 day moving average of $555.23 and a 200-day moving average of $565.62. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $465.59 and a 12-month high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.31 by $0.07. Mastercard had a return on equity of 202.03% and a net margin of 45.28%.The business had revenue of $8.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.89 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.25%.

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.