Waycross Partners LLC Increases Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Waycross Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 2.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,696 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,264 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 2.9% of Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $33,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First National Bank of Omaha acquired a new stake in Mastercard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $6,674,000. Maridea Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard during the third quarter worth approximately $2,453,000. May Hill Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 17.6% during the third quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 1,554 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $884,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Ingalls & Snyder LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 5.2% during the third quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 18,553 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,553,000 after purchasing an additional 917 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Advisory LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 9,421 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,359,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock and Mastercard are exploring integration with the XRP Ledger, signaling potential new crypto settlement rails and product opportunities that could expand Mastercard’s addressable market and transaction volumes. Wall Street Giants BlackRock and Mastercard Explore XRP Ledger Integration
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard is positioning for AI-driven payments, highlighting product readiness and investments in AI-powered payment flows that could increase processing efficiency and new revenue streams. Mastercard demonstrates readiness for a new era of AI-powered payments
• Positive Sentiment: Mastercard published a cyber‑security “report card,” underscoring focus on risk controls and trust — a positive signal for merchant and issuer partners that rely on platform security. Mastercard applies a cyber security ‘report card’
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate thought leadership pieces highlight Mastercard’s push to “unlock” digital finance at scale; these reinforce strategy but are informational rather than immediate revenue drivers. Mastercard: Unlocking the Business Case for Digital Finance at Scale
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation comparison coverage (GPN vs MA) may prompt some investors to reassess relative value, but it’s a secondary factor to company-level execution. GPN or MA: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: U.K. banks and officials are discussing national payments alternatives to Visa and Mastercard amid political concerns, which raises regulatory and market-share risk in a key region if such schemes gain traction. Visa and Mastercard on red alert as fears of political shutdown mount UK looking at Visa and Mastercard alternatives – what does this mean for your money?
• Negative Sentiment: Broader political risks (mentions of U.S. deplatforming threats) keep Visa and Mastercard on alert — such geopolitics could translate to regulatory action or client/issuer uncertainty that pressures cross-border volumes. UK bank chiefs consider setting alternatives to Visa and Mastercard amid Trump threats

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $678.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $739.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Mastercard from $668.00 to $671.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on Mastercard from $707.00 to $631.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group set a $610.00 price target on Mastercard and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $669.27.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of MA stock opened at $521.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $468.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $553.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $562.57. Mastercard Incorporated has a twelve month low of $465.59 and a twelve month high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $8.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.80 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.65% and a return on equity of 203.92%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.82 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Mastercard’s payout ratio is presently 21.07%.

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.