Groupe la Francaise Sells 15,205 Shares of Visa Inc. $V

Groupe la Francaise decreased its holdings in Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) by 3.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 406,784 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock after selling 15,205 shares during the quarter. Visa makes up about 1.7% of Groupe la Francaise’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Visa were worth $122,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Invariant Investment Management purchased a new stake in shares of Visa in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $969,000. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. increased its holdings in Visa by 58.1% during the 1st quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 4,201 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 1,543 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Visa by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,975,832 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock worth $56,455,834,000 after purchasing an additional 1,054,343 shares during the period. Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its position in Visa by 30.1% during the 4th quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 28,922 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock valued at $10,143,000 after purchasing an additional 6,688 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. bought a new stake in Visa during the 4th quarter valued at $15,966,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.15% of the company’s stock.

Visa Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:V opened at $366.65 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $340.37 and a 200 day moving average of $325.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $657.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.75. Visa Inc. has a 52 week low of $293.89 and a 52 week high of $373.97.

Visa (NYSE:V) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The credit-card processor reported $3.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.09. Visa had a return on equity of 67.68% and a net margin of 50.78%.The business had revenue of $11.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.98 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Visa Inc. will post 13.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Visa Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. Visa’s dividend payout ratio is 22.79%.

Visa declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, April 28th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit-card processor to reacquire up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on V. Clear Str upgraded Visa to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Visa in a research note on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Visa to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $427.00 price objective (up from $410.00) on shares of Visa in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Visa from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-four have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $411.77.

Visa News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Visa this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and resilient consumer spending: Visa reported adjusted EPS of $3.32 versus the $3.23 consensus and revenue of $11.63 billion versus estimates of $11.40 billion. Revenue increased 14.4% year over year, cross-border volume remained strong, and payments volume surpassed $4 trillion for the first time—evidence of continued spending momentum. Visa Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Cross-Border Volume Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets: JPMorgan lifted its target to $450, Baird to $420, BMO to $405 and Cantor Fitzgerald maintained an overweight rating with a $410 target. The revisions reflect confidence in Visa’s growth, payment volume and long-term fundamentals. Visa Analyst Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Payment ecosystem expansion: Visa highlighted AI, stablecoins, value-added services and Visa Direct, which is being positioned to modernize government disbursements and other money-movement use cases. X Money also launched in the United States using a branded Visa debit card, potentially increasing Visa’s transaction reach. Visa Direct Modernizes Government Payouts
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared: Visa declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, payable September 1 to shareholders of record August 11. The roughly 0.7% yield offers modest shareholder support but is unlikely to drive the stock materially.
• Negative Sentiment: Expense and workforce concerns: Visa plans to eliminate approximately 2,600 jobs, or about 7% of its workforce, citing efficiency initiatives and AI-driven changes. The cuts could improve margins over time, but investors initially focused on higher operating expenses and execution risks. Visa Slashes Thousands of Jobs in Efficiency Push
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and market pressure: Commentary has flagged Visa’s premium valuation and competition from Mastercard, PayPal and emerging payment platforms. Separately, an oil-price spike and U.S.-Iran tensions pressured the broader market, creating an unfavorable backdrop for large-cap technology and financial stocks. Visa Valuation Commentary

Insider Activity at Visa

In other Visa news, CFO Chris Suh sold 10,639 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $324.81, for a total value of $3,455,653.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 9,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,206,524.32. The trade was a 51.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Julie B. Rottenberg sold 2,027 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total transaction of $729,720.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 18,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,625,440. The trade was a 9.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 44,126 shares of company stock valued at $14,928,871 over the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.