Aberdeen Group plc Sells 57,238 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated $MA

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 5.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 921,673 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 57,238 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 0.8% of Aberdeen Group plc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.10% of Mastercard worth $522,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore set a $610.00 target price on Mastercard in a report on Friday, December 12th. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on shares of 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 objective on Mastercard and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $669.27.

More Mastercard News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results/revenue beat — Mastercard reported revenue and spending trends that topped forecasts, reinforcing the company’s exposure to resilient consumer and electronic payments volume. This is the primary fundamental support for shares. Mastercard Incorporated (MA) Revenue Beats Forecasts as Customers Continue to Spend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades to near-term estimates — Zacks raised several near-term EPS estimates (notably FY2026 and some 2026 quarters), implying improved expected earnings momentum into 2026 that can support valuation if sustained. MarketBeat MA overview / Zacks note
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend payment — Mastercard paid its $0.87 quarterly dividend on Feb. 9, reflecting steady shareholder returns but not an unexpected change to the company’s capital allocation policy. Carrier Global’s Quiet Dividend Strategy Deserves Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor outreach — Mastercard announced participation in investor conferences in March, which provides additional management access for investors but is routine. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed / trimmed longer‑term estimates — Zacks also trimmed several 2027 quarterly and FY2027 EPS forecasts even as it raised other near-term/longer-term numbers; the mixed revisions add uncertainty around multi-year growth cadence and may temper enthusiasm. MarketBeat MA overview / Zacks note
• Negative Sentiment: Profit‑taking and valuation pressure — after the earnings beat and a multi‑month run near all‑time highs, investors appear to be taking profits and reacting to any mixed signals from analysts; MA’s valuation metrics and distance from moving averages make it vulnerable to short‑term pullbacks even on good news. (No external link)

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $518.43 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $465.55 billion, a PE ratio of 31.38, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.83. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $465.59 and a 1-year high of $601.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $553.85 and its 200-day moving average is $563.15.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.80 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 203.92% and a net margin of 45.65%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.82 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.