Vise Technologies Inc. Acquires 34,158 Shares of Visa Inc. $V

Key Points

• Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its Visa stake by 84.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 34,158 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 74,788 shares valued at about $26.2 million.
• Visa reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.31 and revenue of $11.23 billion, both ahead of analyst estimates. Revenue rose 17.1% year over year.
• The company also announced a $20 billion share repurchase program and maintained its quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, while analysts remain broadly bullish with an average “Buy” rating and a $387.78 price target.

Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in Visa Inc. (NYSE:V - Free Report) by 84.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,788 shares of the credit-card processor's stock after buying an additional 34,158 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Visa were worth $26,229,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE raised its stake in Visa by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE now owns 10,917 shares of the credit-card processor's stock valued at $3,829,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC lifted its holdings in Visa by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 1,297 shares of the credit-card processor's stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Platform Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Visa in the fourth quarter worth $324,000. Avalon Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Visa by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Avalon Capital Management now owns 6,207 shares of the credit-card processor's stock worth $2,177,000 after buying an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its position in Visa by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 900,723 shares of the credit-card processor's stock worth $315,893,000 after buying an additional 16,434 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.15% of the company's stock.

Visa Price Performance

Shares of V opened at $320.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $574.12 billion, a PE ratio of 27.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company's fifty day moving average price is $316.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $324.50. Visa Inc. has a 1-year low of $293.89 and a 1-year high of $375.51.

Visa (NYSE:V - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The credit-card processor reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $11.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.75 billion. Visa had a net margin of 51.68% and a return on equity of 65.00%. Visa's quarterly revenue was up 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.76 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Visa Inc. will post 13.09 EPS for the current year.

Visa Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. Visa's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.34%.

Visa declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 28th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit-card processor to repurchase up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on V shares. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $403.00 price target (up from $391.00) on shares of Visa in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $389.00 price target on shares of Visa in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $415.00 price objective on shares of Visa in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Visa in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $410.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Visa from $390.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Visa currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $387.78.

Key Visa News

Here are the key news stories impacting Visa this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Visa announced a collaboration with Brale to explore private stablecoin settlement for institutional payments, reinforcing its blockchain and faster-settlement strategy. Visa and Brale Explore Private Stablecoin Settlement for Institutional Payments
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Visa, Stripe, and Mastercard may back a stablecoin platform sparked optimism that Visa could benefit from cheaper, faster cross-border settlement and stay ahead of payment innovation. Report: Payments Giants Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe Back Stablecoin Platform for Faster Payments
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary noted that the stablecoin pilot could create meaningful long-term benefits if successful, helping explain why the stock has been trending higher. Why Visa Stock Topped the Market on Thursday
• Neutral Sentiment: Visa also announced senior leadership appointments in Asia Pacific to support value-added services and Southeast Asia growth, a strategic but not immediate earnings driver. Visa Announces Asia Pacific Leadership Appointments to Scale Value-Added Services and Southeast Asia Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on “pay-by-bank” and other payment alternatives raises competitive questions, but the articles suggest awareness and trust remain limited for now, so the threat to Visa looks incremental rather than immediate. Pay-by-Bank Is Quietly Gaining Ground. Should Card Network Visa Investors Worry?
• Negative Sentiment: Visa’s payment services were reported suspended in Cuba amid expanded U.S. sanctions, which is a small geographic headwind but not likely a major stock driver. Visa and Mastercard services suspended in tourist destination popular with Canadians

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lloyd Carney sold 650 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.62, for a total value of $201,253.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at $829,471.98. The trade was a 19.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Mcinerney sold 31,455 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.14, for a total value of $10,699,103.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,174 shares in the company, valued at $5,161,284.36. The trade was a 67.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 42,744 shares of company stock valued at $14,356,010. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Visa Profile

Visa Inc is a global payments technology company that facilitates electronic funds transfers and digital commerce by connecting consumers, merchants, financial institutions and governments. The firm operates one of the world's largest payment networks, providing processing, authorization, clearing and settlement services for credit, debit and prepaid card transactions. Visa's network-based model enables partner banks and other issuers to offer branded payment products while Visa focuses on the infrastructure, standards and technologies that move money securely and efficiently around the world.

Visa's product and service portfolio includes card-based payment products for consumers and businesses, real-time push-payment capabilities, tokenization and authentication services, fraud and risk-management tools, data analytics and APIs for fintech and merchant integration.

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