Mastercard Incorporated $MA Shares Bought by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 293,347 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,894 shares during the period. Mastercard accounts for about 1.1% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $150,663,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in Mastercard by 820.0% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 46 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Hyposwiss Advisors SA purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 113.8% in the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 62 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Clear Str upgraded Mastercard to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $701.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Mastercard from $679.00 to $681.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $631.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $661.93.

Mastercard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman’s investment adds credibility: Pershing Square disclosed a new Mastercard position as part of its largest portfolio overhaul in years. Ackman’s stated focus on long-term earnings growth and Mastercard’s potential in agentic commerce is providing a positive sentiment catalyst. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Stablecoin expansion creates a new growth opportunity: Mastercard is making a major push into digital dollars and euros, positioning its network and services to benefit as stablecoins gain wider use in payments. This could expand transaction volumes and value-added services, although execution and regulatory risks remain. Motley Fool article
• Positive Sentiment: Digital-payments expansion in Africa: Mastercard and TeamApt announced a strategic collaboration to broaden digital payments across Africa, opening a potentially large market for payment acceptance and financial services. Mastercard and TeamApt article
• Positive Sentiment: Most Zacks Research revisions were favorable: FY2026 EPS estimates increased to $19.72 from $19.40, while FY2027 and FY2028 estimates rose to $22.34 and $25.74, respectively. Estimates for the first three quarters of fiscal 2027 were also raised, reinforcing expectations for continued earnings growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: An analyst described Mastercard as a rare growth-at-a-reasonable-price opportunity, citing double-digit revenue growth, strong margins, cybersecurity services and resilient consumer spending. However, the shares still trade at a premium valuation, making continued execution important. Seeking Alpha article
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $4.99 from $5.01 and Q4 2027 EPS to $5.92 from $6.27. These modest cuts introduce some near-term caution despite the higher full-year forecasts.

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MA opened at $569.05 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $464.52 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $530.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $516.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The firm has a market cap of $498.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.71.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $5.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.27. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 239.99%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.15 EPS. Mastercard’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 19.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.14%.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

In related news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,372 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.00, for a total transaction of $8,838,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 93,693 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,873,475. This trade represents a 14.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 4,280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.31, for a total transaction of $2,440,926.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 31,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,781,695.49. This represents a 12.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 62,913 shares of company stock valued at $35,769,036. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.