Visa Inc. $V Shares Sold by Metropolis Capital Ltd

Key Points

• Metropolis Capital reduced its Visa stake by 13.1% in the third quarter, selling 57,153 shares and retaining 379,451 shares valued at approximately $136.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 82.15% of Visa.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Visa holding a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $426.12. The company recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $3.32 in EPS and $11.63 billion in revenue.
• Visa shares opened at $406.57, near their 52-week high, while insiders have sold nearly $28.9 million of stock over the past 90 days. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.67, representing a 0.7% yield.

Metropolis Capital Ltd lessened its stake in Visa Inc. (NYSE:V - Free Report) by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 379,451 shares of the credit-card processor's stock after selling 57,153 shares during the period. Visa comprises 3.8% of Metropolis Capital Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Metropolis Capital Ltd's holdings in Visa were worth $136,348,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Visa by 58.1% during the 1st quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 4,201 shares of the credit-card processor's stock worth $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 1,543 shares in the last quarter. Vega Investment Solutions bought a new stake in shares of Visa during the second quarter valued at approximately $829,000. Beacon Financial Group increased its position in shares of Visa by 83.9% during the first quarter. Beacon Financial Group now owns 22,501 shares of the credit-card processor's stock valued at $6,801,000 after purchasing an additional 10,267 shares during the period. XXEC Inc. raised its stake in shares of Visa by 153,118.8% in the second quarter. XXEC Inc. now owns 186,260,448 shares of the credit-card processor's stock valued at $63,904,097,000 after purchasing an additional 186,138,883 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Visa by 23.5% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,343,195 shares of the credit-card processor's stock valued at $803,925,000 after purchasing an additional 445,775 shares in the last quarter. 82.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on V shares. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $432.00 target price (up from $412.00) on shares of Visa in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Visa from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Visa from $350.00 to $370.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $416.00 price objective (up from $415.00) on shares of Visa in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $460.00 price objective (up from $435.00) on shares of Visa in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $426.12.

Insider Activity at Visa

In other Visa news, General Counsel Julie B. Rottenberg sold 1,867 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.34, for a total transaction of $687,690.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 18,404 shares in the company, valued at $6,778,929.36. This represents a 9.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Tullier Mahon sold 57,272 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $364.97, for a total transaction of $20,902,561.84. Following the sale, the insider owned 49,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,125,140.14. This trade represents a 53.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 78,792 shares of company stock valued at $28,863,319 in the last 90 days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Visa Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE V opened at $406.57 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock's 50 day moving average is $374.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $348.09. The company has a market capitalization of $725.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.57, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.77. Visa Inc. has a 1-year low of $293.89 and a 1-year high of $408.59.

Visa (NYSE:V - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The credit-card processor reported $3.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.09. Visa had a return on equity of 67.68% and a net margin of 50.78%. The company had revenue of $11.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.98 EPS. The company's revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Visa Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Visa Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Visa's payout ratio is currently 22.79%.

Visa News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Visa this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven business payments: Visa, BILL and Billtrust launched a live pilot allowing trusted AI agents to complete approved invoice payments between buyers and suppliers. The initiative could help Visa capture a larger share of business-to-business payments and replace manual processes, checks and legacy payment methods. Visa, BILL and Billtrust Launch First Live Pilot
• Positive Sentiment: Crypto and stablecoin expansion: Visa partnered with Mesh to enable users of participating wallets to spend crypto and stablecoin balances at more than 175 million Visa-accepting merchant locations, without a separate crypto card or manual cash-out. The arrangement could generate additional payment volume while allowing merchants to use existing Visa infrastructure. How Is Visa Turning Crypto And AI Payments Into Real World Use?
• Positive Sentiment: Broader commercial and international reach: Visa expanded its U.K. online merchant presence through Barclaycard’s Unified Checkout and enabled eligible fintechs to offer Visa corporate cards in more than 40 countries. These partnerships support digital-wallet adoption and cross-border payment growth. Visa Expands U.K. Merchant Reach
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings catalyst: Wall Street expects Visa to report earnings growth in its upcoming quarterly release, with investors also watching for guidance and a potential annual dividend increase. The company’s prior quarter delivered revenue and earnings above consensus estimates. Visa Reports Next Week
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks: Visa trades at a premium earnings multiple near all-time highs, leaving less room for an earnings or guidance disappointment. The Mesh rollout has not yet disclosed all participating wallets or launch timing, while regulatory scrutiny, merchant resistance to interchange changes and potential U.S. credit-card legislation could pressure future growth.

Visa Company Profile

Visa Inc NYSE: V is a global payments technology company that facilitates electronic payments between consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments. Through its VisaNet network, the company authorizes, clears and settles transactions made with Visa-branded credit, debit and prepaid cards, while generally not issuing cards, extending credit or setting cardholder account terms.

Visa provides payment products and services for consumer, commercial and government payments, as well as digital commerce and money movement.

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