Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 68,832 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Erste Asset Management GmbH trimmed its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 33.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 139,111 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 68,832 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for approximately 0.8% of Erste Asset Management GmbH’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $78,838,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 156 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Robbins Farley increased its position in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% during the third quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Mastercard by 2.2% during the third quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 841 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $479,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.0% in the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 1,817 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Zullo Investment Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 1.7% in the third quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 1,091 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Mastercard

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major product rollout — MetaMask Card goes broadly live in the U.S., letting users pay with crypto anywhere Mastercard is accepted and keeping assets self-custodial; the launch includes on-chain rewards and availability in New York, which strengthens Mastercard’s position in crypto payments. Mastercard Brings MetaMask Crypto Payments to US Shoppers
• Positive Sentiment: Wider MetaMask partnership rollout reported across U.S. issuances and card programs — multiple outlets note the MetaMask–Mastercard card and debit-like product expansion, reinforcing expected volume and fee capture from crypto-native spend. MetaMask expands Mastercard crypto card across the US
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic hiring for crypto and DeFi — Mastercard is recruiting a Director of Crypto Flows to lead stablecoin card launches and DeFi integrations, signaling deeper commitment to digital-asset revenue streams. This hiring was flagged across industry outlets and suggests ongoing product investment rather than a beta experiment. Mastercard Seeks Director of Crypto Flows as Payments Giant Deepens Digital Asset Push
• Positive Sentiment: Regional growth partnership — Mastercard signed a deal to accelerate digital payments in Tanzania, supporting geographic expansion and payment volume growth in underpenetrated markets. (Mastercard, Tananian firm partner to fast-track the transformation of digital payment)
• Neutral Sentiment: Minor divestiture — Mastercard sold SessionM to Capillary Technologies for $20 million; small proceeds and focus on core payments/crypto strategy may be viewed as portfolio simplification rather than material to earnings. Capillary Technologies acquires SessionM from Mastercard for $20 million
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased investor attention — Zacks highlights strong retail interest in MA stock, which can amplify intraday moves but doesn’t signal fundamental changes by itself. Investors Heavily Search Mastercard Incorporated (MA): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure — European payment apps are explicitly targeting Visa/Mastercard dominance in retail payments; new local rails or fintechs could pressure merchant fees or market share in certain regions over time. European payment app targets Visa, Mastercard dominance with retail-payments push
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/industry skepticism — A critical report (Citrini) warned of potential issues for Mastercard if crypto traction stalls; timing of hires and expansion invites scrutiny about whether crypto efforts will be accretive or costly. Mastercard Hires for Crypto Just as Citrini Warns It Could Be Obsolete

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of MA stock opened at $514.55 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $465.59 and a fifty-two week high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $458.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.15, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.83. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $546.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $559.97.

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

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on MA. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Mastercard from $665.00 to $678.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Mastercard from $685.00 to $655.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial set a $611.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $668.00 to $671.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $707.00 to $631.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $669.27.

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.