iSAM Funds UK Ltd Reduces Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

iSAM Funds UK Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 75.4% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 640 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,958 shares during the quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 20.0% in the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 108 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 695 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $387,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Athena Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 3.8% during the second quarter. Athena Wealth Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Novem Group increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Vista Capital Partners Inc. raised its stake in Mastercard by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 444 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mastercard news, insider Sachin Mehra sold 7,444 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.13, for a total transaction of $4,296,155.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 40,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,613,851.08. This represents a 15.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $567.68, for a total transaction of $9,439,383.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 115,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,806,033.28. The trade was a 12.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 74,623 shares of company stock worth $42,544,606. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $585.70 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $464.52 and a twelve month high of $601.62. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $556.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $521.06. The firm has a market cap of $513.08 billion, a PE ratio of 32.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.74.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly 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. Mastercard had a return on equity of 239.99% and a net margin of 46.34%.The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.15 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Key Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard’s value-added services business generated 20% revenue growth in the second quarter, supported by cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and digital solutions. Continued cross-selling and demand for these services could help sustain growth beyond the company’s core payment network. Can Mastercard’s VAS Business Sustain Its Double-Digit Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard launched the first cohort in its Start Path program dedicated to agentic commerce, admitting 22 startups developing infrastructure for AI agents that can transact autonomously. The initiative positions Mastercard to participate in a potentially important new payments channel. Mastercard Start Path Launches Inaugural Agentic Commerce Cohort
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and partners including Cloudflare and Olas are developing payment rails for agentic commerce, reinforcing the company’s strategy of integrating AI into its global network. Agentic Commerce Is Here As Mastercard, Cloudflare and Olas Build Rails
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary continues to view Mastercard as resilient because of its payment-network duopoly and growing AI capabilities, although elevated valuation remains a consideration for investors. Mastercard Stays Resilient with AI Integration and Payment Duopoly
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard is offering deals with Klook for U.S. travelers visiting Pacific destinations, a promotion that may support transaction activity and customer engagement but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Mastercard and Klook Launch Deals for Pacific-Bound U.S. Travelers
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Financial Officer Sachin Mehra sold 3,266 shares worth approximately $1.9 million, reducing his direct holdings by 8.18%. The transaction occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which makes it a weaker bearish signal than a discretionary sale but may still weigh on sentiment. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $631.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays upped their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Mastercard from $642.00 to $696.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $666.64.

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.