Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Decreases Stake in Visa Inc. $V

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lowered its stake in Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) by 96.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,221 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock after selling 506,284 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Visa were worth $6,040,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Isthmus Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Visa by 2,615.2% in the fourth quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 45,208 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $15,855,000 after acquiring an additional 43,543 shares during the period. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Visa by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,391 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $5,398,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Visa in the fourth quarter worth $207,000. Dash Acquisitions Inc. increased its stake in shares of Visa by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. now owns 80,144 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $26,444,000 after acquiring an additional 4,315 shares during the period. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Visa in the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.15% of the company’s stock.

Visa News Roundup

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

Insider Activity at Visa

In related news, Director Lloyd Carney sold 650 shares of the firm’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 owned 2,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $829,471.98. This trade represents a 19.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ryan Mcinerney sold 31,455 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.14, for a total transaction of $10,699,103.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,161,284.36. This represents 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 42,744 shares of company stock worth $14,356,010. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

V has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Visa in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $410.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $415.00 price objective on shares of Visa in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Visa from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of Visa from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Visa from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Six investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Visa presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $387.67.

Visa Stock Down 0.6%

V stock opened at $329.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $590.53 billion, a PE ratio of 28.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $312.77 and its 200 day moving average is $325.42. Visa Inc. has a one year low of $293.89 and a one year high of $375.51.

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

Visa announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, April 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit-card processor to reacquire up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Visa Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors 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 is Tuesday, May 12th. Visa’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.34%.

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.