OFI Invest Asset Management Acquires Shares of Visa Inc.

OFI Invest Asset Management has made a significant investment in Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) by acquiring a new position in the company's stock during the fourth quarter. According to their recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the institutional investor purchased a total of 158,839 shares, which are valued at approximately $48,478,000. With this acquisition, Visa now represents about 1.1% of OFI Invest Asset Management's investment portfolio, making it the 19th largest position held by the firm.

In addition to OFI Invest, several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently shown interest in Visa's shares. For instance, Peterson Financial Group Inc. entered the market with a new stake in Visa during the third quarter valued at around $26,000. Similarly, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. also purchased a stake worth approximately $26,000 in the fourth quarter. Furthermore, Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a stake valued at about $27,000 in Visa during the same period. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its holding in Visa by 48.5% in the fourth quarter and now owns 98 shares valued at $31,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC established a new position in Visa worth roughly $32,000. Currently, institutional investors and hedge funds hold about 82.15% of Visa's total shares.

Visa Stock Performance

Visa's stock opened at $345.79 as of Friday, with a twelve-month low of $252.70 and a twelve-month high of $366.54. The company holds a market capitalization of $642.41 billion, with a PE ratio of 34.86 and a PEG ratio of 2.33. Additionally, Visa has a beta of 0.95, indicating its relatively stable performance as compared to the market. The company features a quick ratio and current ratio of both 1.12 and has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Furthermore, Visa's 50-day simple moving average stands at $336.18, while the 200-day simple moving average is at $308.63.

Recent Earnings and Dividends

Visa recently reported its quarterly earnings on January 30th, revealing an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.75, surpassing the expected consensus of $2.66 by $0.09. The company also demonstrated a strong return on equity at 54.79% and a net margin of 54.27%. Analysts forecast that Visa will achieve an EPS of 11.3 for the current fiscal year.

In a related update, Visa announced a quarterly dividend of $0.59 per share, which was paid out on March 3rd. Investors who were on record as of February 11th received this dividend, representing an annualized dividend of $2.36 and a yield of 0.68%. The company's dividend payout ratio is at 23.79%.

Analyst Ratings and Predictions

Several brokerage analysts have provided insights on Visa's stock in recent weeks. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Visa's rating from "hold" to "strong-buy" in a note dated January 14th. Bank of America raised Visa's target price from $331.00 to $363.00 and maintained a "neutral" rating. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating in a report published on February 13th. Additionally, Barclays increased Visa's target price from $361.00 to $396.00 while giving it an "overweight" rating. Presently, six analysts rate Visa as a hold, while twenty-three have initiated a buy rating, and one has issued a strong buy. MarketBeat.com reports that Visa currently holds an average rating of "Moderate Buy" along with a target price estimate of $353.96.

Insider Trading Activities

In recent insider news, CAO Peter M. Andreski sold 2,332 shares of Visa stock on February 7th at an average price of $349.62, resulting in a total sale amount of $815,313.84. Following the sale, he now directly holds 4,488 shares valued at approximately $1,569,094.56. This transaction represented a 34.19% reduction in his ownership. Additionally, insider Tullier Kelly Mahon sold 33,741 shares on the same date at an average price of $349.77, amounting to approximately $11,801,589.57. After this sale, she retains 36,566 shares valued at around $12,789,689.82, reflecting a 47.99% decrease in her position. Over the past ninety days, insiders sold 64,505 shares of Visa stock, totaling around $22,290,507, with only 0.13% of the shares still owned by insiders.

Company Overview

Visa Inc. is a leading payment technology company operating both in the United States and globally. The company runs VisaNet, a transaction processing network facilitating the authorization, clearing, and settlement of payment transactions. Furthermore, Visa offers a wide array of products and services, including credit, debit, and prepaid cards, as well as digital payment solutions like tap-to-pay and tokenization services. Visa also manages business-to-business payment networks and provides services aimed at fraud mitigation and data analytics.

Visa, Investment, Finance