Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Has $67.61 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 8.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 132,660 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,182 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.2% of Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $67,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MA. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Mastercard from $670.00 to $665.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Clear Str raised shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wolfe Research raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $680.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $554.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised Mastercard to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $664.71.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In other news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 200 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,880. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Michael Miebach sold 16,628 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $567.68, for a total value of $9,439,383.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 115,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,806,033.28. This trade represents a 12.54% 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 71,357 shares of company stock valued at $40,637,262. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $595.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $549.15 and a 200-day moving average of $519.62. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $464.52 and a 52-week high of $601.62. The stock has a market cap of $521.67 billion, a PE ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.72.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.15 earnings per share. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. 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 is presently 19.14%.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard and QNB Group processed Syria’s first international card transaction in more than 15 years. The milestone marks the reopening and modernization of Syria’s international payments infrastructure following the lifting of certain U.S. restrictions. Although the near-term financial contribution is likely to be small, the development creates a potential new market and demonstrates Mastercard’s ability to support payments expansion. Syria marks first international card transaction in more than 15 years with Mastercard and QNB Group
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have given Mastercard a consensus “Buy” rating. Continued Wall Street support adds to the bullish backdrop, though the rating itself may already be reflected in the share price. Mastercard Incorporated Given Consensus Rating of Buy by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman added Mastercard to the hedge fund’s portfolio. The purchase may improve investor sentiment by signaling confidence from a prominent long-term investor, although it does not change Mastercard’s operating outlook. Bill Ackman Just Made His Biggest Portfolio Overhaul in Years
• Positive Sentiment: A partnership with Klook targets growing travel and experiences spending across Asia Pacific. Mastercard cardholder benefits and additional travel-related payment touchpoints could support transaction volume in a high-growth region. Klook and Mastercard collaborate to enhance travelers’ experiences across Asia Pacific
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard will participate in the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 10, where CFO Ling Hai is scheduled to speak. Investors may look for updates on growth, margins and capital allocation, but no new financial information was provided. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard’s name appears as a supporter of an XRPL/Ripple hackathon, but reports caution that the sponsorship does not represent a new cryptocurrency partnership or major product launch. Mastercard’s Name Is on the Ripple Hackathon, But Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself

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.