AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Has $422.56 Million Position in Mastercard Incorporated $MA

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 742,885 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 150,529 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up about 1.9% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $422,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.2% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,475,807 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $44,098,695,000 after purchasing an additional 931,132 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,760,552 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,062,509,000 after buying an additional 542,841 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Mastercard by 55,868.1% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,421,148 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,541,880,000 after buying an additional 13,397,168 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,725,317,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Mastercard by 25.6% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,372,404 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,580,909,000 after buying an additional 1,299,977 shares during the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mastercard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $556.11 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $554.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $564.50. The stock has a market cap of $499.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.66, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $465.59 and a 12 month high of $601.77.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its 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. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.65% and a return on equity of 203.92%. The firm had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This is a positive change from Mastercard’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.07%.

More Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullish case highlights faster-growing, recurring services revenue (now ~22% YoY) and a strong network/data flywheel that supports premium valuation and mid-teens EPS growth—boosting investor confidence in MA’s earnings quality. Why Mastercard Deserves A Premium After Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an Outperform rating on MA, reinforcing buy-side momentum after the quarter and supporting upside. Mastercard’s (MA) Outperform Rating Reiterated at Royal Bank Of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Two separate reports show analysts raising price targets (to $675 and $671), signaling upward revisions to fair value estimates following Q4 results and strengthening the buy-case. Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target Raised to $675.00 Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target Raised to $671.00
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results: revenue ~ $8.8B, EPS ahead of estimates and cross-border volume growth (~14%)—evidence that both payments volume and higher-margin services are supporting top-line and margin strength. Mastercard Q4 Revenue Reaches $8.8B as Cross-Border Volume Grows 14%
• Positive Sentiment: Investor-focused commentary (Fool) highlights Mastercard’s capacity to sustainably grow and support an expanding dividend, which appeals to income and total-return investors. 2 No-Brainer Dividend Stocks to Buy Hand Over Fist
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate PR/CSR: Mastercard launched the “Tap for Change” campaign supporting Sri Lanka’s largest community-driven cancer care initiative and pledged ~$750k to a hospital—positive for brand/ESG but limited immediate earnings impact. Mastercard launches ‘Tap for Change’ campaign to power Sri Lanka’s largest community-driven cancer care initiative MasterCard pledges US $ 750,000 for Karapitiya Trail Cancer Hospital via ‘Tap for Change’ campaign
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing promotion: Mastercard is running a sweepstakes tied to Noah Kahan concert tickets—helps engagement/brand but not material to fundamentals. Mastercard launching a sweepstakes and exclusive tickets to Noah Kahan’s upcoming concert series
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its price target to $655, a reminder that some sell-side desks remain cautious and could cap near-term upside if broader macro or fee-cap concerns re-emerge. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Price Target to $655.00

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $665.00 to $678.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Compass Point raised shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $620.00 to $735.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $609.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $667.04.

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.