Visa Inc. $V Stock: AIA Group Ltd Increases Stake

AIA Group Ltd lifted its position in shares of Visa Inc. (NYSE:V - Free Report) by 7.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 261,646 shares of the credit-card processor's stock after buying an additional 18,484 shares during the quarter. Visa makes up 1.2% of AIA Group Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in Visa were worth $94,017,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of V. John Boyer Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Visa in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Visa in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Visa in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Visa in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its stake in Visa by 307.7% during the third quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 106 shares of the credit-card processor's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.15% of the company's stock.

Visa Trading Down 1.2%

V opened at $420.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $749.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $383.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $343.20. Visa Inc. has a one year low of $293.89 and a one year high of $426.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Visa (NYSE:V - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The credit-card processor reported $3.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.44 by $0.04. Visa had a return on equity of 70.50% and a net margin of 51.20%. The firm had revenue of $12.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Visa Inc. will post 15.03 EPS for the current year.

Visa Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This is a boost from Visa's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Visa's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Visa in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Clear Str raised Visa to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Visa from $420.00 to $438.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets set a $438.00 price objective on shares of Visa and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 target price (up from $420.00) on shares of Visa in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and thirty-five have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $440.03.

Trending Headlines about Visa

Here are the key news stories impacting Visa this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Visa raised its quarterly dividend to $0.78 per share, alongside reported double-digit year-over-year growth in quarterly revenue and profit. These developments support the view that its payments business is growing while returning cash to shareholders. Read article: Will Earnings Beat Change Visa Stock's Narrative
• Positive Sentiment: Visa signed partnerships in Hong Kong and Senegal to advance AI-enabled commerce and digital payments, potentially expanding its reach in fintech and financial inclusion. Read article: Visa Signs Two New Deals To Push AI Commerce And Digital Payments
• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman praised Visa alongside Mastercard and Netflix, while Cantor Fitzgerald maintained an Overweight rating and raised its price target to $500. Zacks also upgraded Visa to a Buy rating, citing earnings prospects. Read article: Ackman Calls Stock Market Broken but Touts Visa Read article: Visa Stocks Rise With Higher Cantor Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Former CEO Joseph Saunders, who led Visa’s 2008 IPO, has died. The reports describe his legacy but provide no indication of an operational or financial impact on the company. Read article: Former Visa CEO Joseph Saunders Dies
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryan McInerney sold 5,875 shares, reducing his position by about 28%. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which moderates its significance as a signal about his outlook. Read SEC filing

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Ryan Mcinerney sold 5,875 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $416.22, for a total value of $2,445,292.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,315,722.28. This represents a 27.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Julie B. Rottenberg sold 1,867 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 27,395 shares of company stock worth $10,406,050. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Visa 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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