Visa Inc. $V Shares Bought by Jennison Associates LLC

Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) by 1.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,502,839 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock after acquiring an additional 133,919 shares during the period. Visa comprises 1.5% of Jennison Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Jennison Associates LLC’s holdings in Visa were worth $2,561,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Visa in the second quarter valued at $7,034,939,000. TCI Fund Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Visa by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter. TCI Fund Management Ltd. now owns 19,067,558 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $6,769,936,000 after acquiring an additional 2,429,996 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Visa by 110.4% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,954,937 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock valued at $1,396,930,000 after acquiring an additional 2,075,289 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Visa by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 162,544,006 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock valued at $57,711,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Visa by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 43,096,802 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock valued at $15,253,245,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067,631 shares in the last quarter. 82.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Visa Price Performance

Shares of NYSE V opened at $326.01 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $338.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $342.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $593.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.81. Visa Inc. has a 52 week low of $299.00 and a 52 week high of $375.51.

Visa (NYSE:V) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The credit-card processor reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $10.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.60 billion. Visa had a net margin of 50.15% and a return on equity of 60.31%. Visa’s revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Visa Inc. will post 11.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Visa Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Visa’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 12th. Visa’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. HSBC upgraded Visa from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $335.00 to $389.00 in a research report on Sunday, December 7th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Visa in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $425.00 price target on shares of Visa in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Visa to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $408.00 target price (up previously from $398.00) on shares of Visa in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Visa presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.52.

Key Headlines Impacting Visa

Here are the key news stories impacting Visa this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain upbeat ahead of earnings — JPMorgan and others expect resilient consumer spending and solid growth at Visa and Mastercard into the Jan. 29 earnings window, which supports upside if volume and revenue trends hold. Visa, Mastercard Head Into Earnings With Spending Holding Firm
• Positive Sentiment: Partnership expansion into crypto-to-fiat rails via Mercuryo could open new volume and fees through Visa Direct and faster fiat conversions, a potential long-term revenue tailwind if adoption scales. Visa Brings Crypto-To-Fiat Convenience To Millions Via Mercuryo
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street broadly expects earnings growth for the quarter, which tempers downside risk — but forecasts leave little margin for a surprise beat, so guidance will drive near-term moves. Visa (V) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary at Davos frames stablecoins (USDC) as complementary infrastructure rather than direct competition to card networks — this reduces regulatory/competitive threat but leaves blockchain adoption as a parallel opportunity. Circle CEO says USDC is a neutral layer, not a rival to Visa or Mastercard
• Negative Sentiment: Caution from some analysts: rising incentives and operating costs plus Visa’s rich valuation are cited as reasons to wait before buying ahead of the report — any weak guidance on margins or incentives could pressure the stock. Thinking of Buying Visa Before Q1 Earnings? You Might Want to Wait

Insider Activity at Visa

In related news, CEO Ryan Mcinerney sold 10,485 shares of Visa stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.18, for a total transaction of $3,661,152.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 9,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,641.18. This trade represents a 52.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Paul D. Fabara sold 2,172 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.93, for a total value of $707,919.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 26,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,608,789.09. The trade was a 7.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 24,042 shares of company stock valued at $8,247,289. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Visa

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.