OFI Invest Asset Management Acquires Shares of Visa Inc. (NYSE:V)

OFI Invest Asset Management has made a significant move by acquiring a new stake in Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) during the fourth quarter, as reported in their latest Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased a total of 158,839 shares of Visa, with an estimated value of around $48,478,000. This investment accounts for approximately 1.1% of OFI Invest Asset Management's overall investment portfolio, marking Visa as the 19th largest position within it.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also been active in buying and selling shares of Visa recently. For instance, Peterson Financial Group Inc. invested in Visa during the third quarter with a stake valued at approximately $26,000. Additionally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. made a new investment in Visa valued around $26,000 in the same quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC entered a new position worth about $27,000 in the fourth quarter, while POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Visa by 48.5% during this period. They now own 98 shares of Visa, valued at about $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares. Modus Advisors LLC also acquired a new stake in Visa, with their investment worth around $32,000. Collectively, institutional investors and hedge funds hold 82.15% of Visa's stock.

Current Stock Performance

The share price of Visa opened at $345.79 recently, showing a slight increase of 0.5%. Over the past twelve months, Visa's stock has fluctuated between a low of $252.70 and a high of $366.54. With a market capitalization of $642.41 billion, Visa's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio stands at 34.86, while the price/earnings to growth (PEG) ratio is 2.33. The stock maintains a beta of 0.95, indicating lower volatility compared to the market. Analysts report a quick ratio and a current ratio of 1.12, and Visa's debt-to-equity ratio is recorded at 0.45. The 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages for Visa are $336.18 and $308.63, respectively.

Quarterly Earnings Update

Visa recently reported its quarterly earnings on January 30th, presenting earnings per share (EPS) of $2.75, which exceeded analysts' expectations of $2.66 by $0.09. The company achieved a return on equity of 54.79% along with a net margin of 54.27%. Analysts project that Visa Inc. will deliver an estimated EPS of 11.3 for the current fiscal year.

Dividend Announcement

In addition to the earnings report, Visa declared its quarterly dividend, which was distributed on March 3rd. Shareholders on record as of February 11th received a dividend payment of $0.59 per share. With this distribution, Visa presents an annualized dividend yield of 0.68%, translating to a total annual payout of $2.36 per share, and a payout ratio of 23.79%.

Future Outlook from Analysts

Various financial analysts have provided insights on Visa's stock, with some notable upgrades. Seaport Res Ptn raised Visa's rating from "hold" to "strong-buy". Bank of America increased its target price for Visa from $331.00 to $363.00, offering a "neutral" outlook. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating for Visa, while Barclays has also increased its target price for the stock from $361.00 to $396.00, categorizing it as "overweight". As per MarketBeat.com, there is currently a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" on Visa, with an average target price of $353.96.

Recent Insider Transactions

In recent insider trading activities, CAO Peter M. Andreski sold 2,332 shares of Visa stock on February 7th at an average price of $349.62, totaling approximately $815,313.84. Following this transaction, he now holds 4,488 shares of the company. Furthermore, Tullier Kelly Mahon, another insider, sold 33,741 shares at an average price of $349.77, amounting to about $11,801,589.57. After this sale, Mahon retained 36,566 shares valued at roughly $12,789,689.82. Over the past ninety days, insiders have sold a total of 64,505 shares worth nearly $22,290,507, currently holding 0.13% of the stock collectively.

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. operates as a leading payment technology company, providing services both within the United States and internationally. The company's main platform, VisaNet, is a robust transaction processing network that facilitates authorization, clearing, and settlement of payment transactions, along with offering various credit, debit, and prepaid card products. Visa also provides services such as tap-to-pay, tokenization, and click-to-pay options, enhancing the efficiency of transactions.

investment, Visa, acquisition