Visa Inc. $V Stock Sold by First Merchants Corp

Key Points

• First Merchants Corp reduced its Visa stake by 4.1% in the third quarter, selling 2,830 shares and retaining 66,272 shares valued at approximately $23.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 82.15% of Visa.
• Visa reported quarterly earnings of $3.32 per share, exceeding estimates of $3.23, while revenue rose 14.4% year over year to $11.63 billion. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share.
• Visa shares traded near their 52-week high, with analysts maintaining a broadly positive outlook: the stock carries a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $426.12.

First Merchants Corp lessened its holdings in shares of Visa Inc. (NYSE:V - Free Report) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 66,272 shares of the credit-card processor's stock after selling 2,830 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp's holdings in Visa were worth $23,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of V. Woodstock Corp grew its stake in Visa by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 39,364 shares of the credit-card processor's stock worth $14,145,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Echo45 Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Visa by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Echo45 Advisors LLC now owns 1,417 shares of the credit-card processor's stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its position in shares of Visa by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 27,509 shares of the credit-card processor's stock valued at $9,885,000 after buying an additional 2,310 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank raised its position in shares of Visa by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 317,425 shares of the credit-card processor's stock valued at $114,060,000 after buying an additional 5,692 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Visa by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 310,501 shares of the credit-card processor's stock worth $106,530,000 after acquiring an additional 30,182 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.15% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Visa news, insider Tullier Mahon sold 57,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $364.97, for a total transaction of $20,902,561.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 49,662 shares in the company, valued at $18,125,140.14. This represents a 53.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Julie B. Rottenberg sold 2,028 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.35, for a total value of $773,377.80. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 18,404 shares in the company, valued at $7,018,365.40. This trade represents a 9.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 78,792 shares of company stock worth $28,863,319 in the last 90 days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Visa Trading Up 2.1%

V stock opened at $399.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $713.08 billion, a PE ratio of 30.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.77. Visa Inc. has a one year low of $293.89 and a one year high of $403.21. The company's 50 day moving average price is $371.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $345.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99.

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

Visa Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. Visa's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.79%.

Visa News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Visa this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stablecoin payments move into commercial use: Visa Direct’s stablecoin-enabled prefunding service has advanced from pilot programs to production, with Inyo Global becoming the first enabler. The initiative could improve the speed and efficiency of cross-border money movement while creating new transaction opportunities for Visa. Visa Direct Launches Stablecoin-Powered Money Movement as Pilots Move to Production
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and technical momentum: An analyst upgrade helped support Visa’s shares, while technical coverage said the stock remains in a buy zone following a breakout. This suggests continued institutional and momentum-oriented demand. Visa Shares Up on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded digital checkout acceptance: Barclaycard Payments is integrating Visa Unified Checkout in the United Kingdom, allowing merchants to accept cards, Click to Pay and digital wallets through a broader checkout solution. This supports Visa’s role across growing digital-payment channels. Barclaycard Payments Integrates Visa Unified Checkout in UK
• Positive Sentiment: China opportunity remains in focus: Visa received approval to prepare for a payments business in China. Although entry hurdles remain, progress in the large Chinese market represents a potentially significant long-term growth opportunity. Visa Wins Approval to Prepare for China Payments Business
• Neutral Sentiment: Visa’s high margins and limited direct credit exposure remain important investment strengths, while its valuation and upcoming fiscal fourth-quarter earnings could determine whether the recent rally is sustainable. Visa Valuation Ahead of Q4 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Stablecoin adoption still faces regulatory, infrastructure and business-use hurdles, while lower interchange fees for some Canadian small businesses may create modest near-term pressure on pricing and revenue growth. Visa Lowers Interchange Fees for Small Businesses

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on V. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $460.00 target price (up from $435.00) on shares of Visa in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $445.00 price target on Visa and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 price target (up from $410.00) on shares of Visa in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Visa from $420.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Visa from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and thirty-four have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $426.12.

Visa Company Profile

Visa Inc is a global payments technology company that operates one of the world's largest electronic payments networks. Through its VisaNet platform, the company facilitates the authorization, clearing and settlement of payment transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and governments.

Visa provides payment products and services for credit, debit, prepaid and commercial transactions. Its offerings also include digital payment capabilities, tokenization, fraud prevention, risk management and other value-added services designed to support secure electronic commerce and contactless payments.

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