Confluence Investment Management LLC Sells 10,020 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Confluence Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 6.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 136,514 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 10,020 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $70,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank grew its holdings in Mastercard by 6.3% during the second quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 11,105 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,704,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the period. Trust Co of the South boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 11.3% during the second quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,656 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 102.6% in the 2nd quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC now owns 79 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Redwood Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 1,982 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $990,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter valued at $64,000. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 4,828 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.00, for a total transaction of $2,534,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,625,225. The trade was a 22.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at $1,793,880. This trade represents a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $701.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $664.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $659.00.

Key Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BVNK acquisition completed: Mastercard finalized its approximately $1.8 billion purchase of crypto infrastructure provider BVNK. The deal is intended to help banks and businesses move value between fiat currencies and digital assets and strengthen Mastercard’s stablecoin capabilities. Mastercard completes acquisition of BVNK to advance global stablecoin capabilities
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets raised: Cantor Fitzgerald lifted its Mastercard price target to $695 from $650 and maintained an “overweight” rating. Other analysts raised targets to $680 and $685, while Mastercard’s overall analyst consensus remains “Buy.” Mastercard price target raised to $680
• Positive Sentiment: Travel and payment partnerships expanded: Mastercard announced new or expanded collaborations with American Airlines and Citi, Emburse, GCash, Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Authority and Bahrain-based INFINIOS. These initiatives could increase card usage, travel-related payments and stablecoin settlement opportunities. American Airlines, Citi and Mastercard introduce new benefits
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic execution remains the focus: Mastercard made six senior appointments across Asia Pacific and continues positioning its network for digital-payment growth. These moves are supportive strategically but are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and profit-taking may limit gains: Despite strong recent earnings growth and favorable analyst commentary, Mastercard trades near its annual high at a premium earnings multiple. Investors may be taking profits or waiting for clearer evidence that the BVNK acquisition and stablecoin initiatives will generate meaningful revenue.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.3%

Mastercard stock opened at $571.38 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $464.52 and a 1-year high of $601.77. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $516.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $514.45. The company has a market cap of $504.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.15 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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