Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Buys 1,087 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,530 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $23,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MA. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Mastercard by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,594,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 11.9% in the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 11,055 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,212,000 after purchasing an additional 1,180 shares in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Mastercard by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,385 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Bell Bank raised its holdings in Mastercard by 2.8% during the second quarter. Bell Bank now owns 6,251 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,513,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 3,493.6% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 934,110 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $524,914,000 after acquiring an additional 908,116 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $539.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $484.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.86. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $465.59 and a 52-week high of $601.77. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $557.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $566.52.

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

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This is a boost from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 22.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 14th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Mastercard from $690.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $662.08.

Trending Headlines about Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management’s “API-first” push is turning Mastercard into a broader payments infrastructure provider — embedding tokenization, fraud tools and open-banking connections that can create stickier, higher-margin revenue streams. Why Mastercard’s API-First Strategy Is Becoming a Growth Multiplier
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and earnings models expect Mastercard to continue its streak of beats — the firm’s recent quarter showed strong revenue and EPS growth, and consensus forecasts imply continued upside to estimates. Will MasterCard (MA) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish equity research (Seeking Alpha) reiterates Mastercard’s wide moat and resilient business model, arguing regulatory scenarios would likely have limited EPS downside — supporting the view that pullbacks may be buying opportunities. Mastercard: A Fire To Run Towards
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus analyst ratings remain constructive (average “Buy”), which can support demand if macro/regulatory noise stabilizes. Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Market attention and technical interest have increased after a recent pullback, which could amplify moves in either direction depending on next catalysts (earnings, regulatory updates). Is Trending Stock Mastercard Incorporated (MA) a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal setback in the U.K.: the High Court ruled the payments regulator can set a cap on cross-border interchange fees, increasing the risk of fee restrictions in key markets and prompting immediate investor concern. Mastercard, Visa and Revolut lose UK case over proposed cross-border card fees cap
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. policy risk is rising: senators reintroduced the Credit Card Competition Act and political rhetoric (including presidential support for fee/rate caps) has intensified, creating headline risk that could pressure margins if legislation advances. Senators reintroduce Credit Card Competition Act after Trump endorses bill to lower swipe fees

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.