GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC cut its stake in Visa Inc. (NYSE:V – Free Report) by 81.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,472 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock after selling 6,271 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Visa were worth $516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Visa by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,975,832 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $56,455,834,000 after acquiring an additional 1,054,343 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Visa by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 24,792,246 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $8,463,484,000 after buying an additional 193,288 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Visa by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 13,114,674 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $4,475,403,000 after buying an additional 530,995 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of Visa by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 12,458,913 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $4,253,224,000 after buying an additional 399,845 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Visa by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 11,913,505 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $4,067,032,000 after buying an additional 1,298,435 shares during the period. 82.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Visa Stock Performance
Shares of V opened at $329.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. Visa Inc. has a twelve month low of $293.89 and a twelve month high of $375.51. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $312.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $325.42. The firm has a market cap of $590.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.78.
Visa announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, April 28th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit-card processor to repurchase up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.
Visa Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. Visa’s dividend payout ratio is 23.34%.
Key Stories Impacting Visa
Here are the key news stories impacting Visa this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Visa is expanding its push into digital payments by testing stablecoin settlement in Canada and advancing AI-enabled “agentic commerce” tools, which could support long-term transaction growth and keep the company relevant as payment methods evolve. Visa Tests Stablecoin Settlement And AI Commerce To Shape Future Fees
- Positive Sentiment: Visa’s partnership with Trip.com to target digital-first travelers in Asia-Pacific adds another growth avenue in travel spending, a high-volume category that can boost payment network activity. Visa and Trip.com Partner to Reach Digital-First Travelers in Asia-Pacific
- Neutral Sentiment: Several reports framed Visa as a long-term beneficiary of crypto and blockchain adoption, but these pieces were more thesis-driven than near-term catalysts for the stock. Crypto and Blockchain Stocks Positioned for Long-Term Growth
- Neutral Sentiment: Visa continues to receive favorable analyst coverage, with brokerages assigning an average “Buy” rating, which supports sentiment but does not appear to be a new catalyst. Visa Inc. Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages
- Negative Sentiment: Visa is facing renewed regulatory scrutiny in the U.K. and Europe, where authorities are pushing for more fee transparency and alternative payment options, raising the risk of pressure on card-network fees and market power. Should Visa & Mastercard Investors Worry About UK & Europe’s Moves?
- Negative Sentiment: The UK Payments Systems Regulator also proposed new reporting rules for Visa and Mastercard after saying the two networks do not face effective competition, reinforcing concerns about tighter oversight. UK PSR proposes new reporting rules for Mastercard and Visa
- Negative Sentiment: Visa’s own fraud warnings highlight a rising threat from AI-powered scams and criminal targeting of consumers, which could increase compliance and security costs even if the company is helping defend against the problem. Visa Says Criminals Target People as Core Payment Security Tightens
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Visa news, Director Lloyd Carney sold 650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.62, for a total transaction of $201,253.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $829,471.98. This represents a 19.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ryan Mcinerney sold 31,455 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.14, for a total transaction of $10,699,103.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,174 shares in the company, valued at $5,161,284.36. This trade represents a 67.46% 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 42,744 shares of company stock valued at $14,356,010. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Visa in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $387.00 price target for the company. Evercore set a $350.00 price target on shares of Visa in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Piper Sandler set a $160.00 price target on shares of Visa in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Visa in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Visa in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $365.00 price target for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $387.67.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Visa
Visa Company 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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