Somerset Trust Co Buys 6,207 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Somerset Trust Co increased its stake in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 536.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,364 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,207 shares during the quarter. Somerset Trust Co’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 820.0% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 57 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MA. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $631.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Mastercard from $629.00 to $642.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $650.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on 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 assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $659.00.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $571.38 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $516.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $514.45. The company has a market cap of $504.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.43, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.71. 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.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.15 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.72 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In other news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,793,880. This represents a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Raj Seshadri sold 4,828 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,625,225. The trade was a 22.71% 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. Insiders have sold 7,005 shares of company stock valued at $3,689,976 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

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 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.