Is Visa Stock a Buy Ahead of Q2 Earnings? Key Predictions to Consider

Core Viewpoint - Visa Inc. is expected to report strong second-quarter fiscal 2025 results, with earnings projected at $2.68 per share and revenues at $9.56 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 6.8% and 9% respectively [1][2] Financial Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Visa's fiscal 2025 revenues is $39.6 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 10.2%, while the EPS estimate is $11.30, indicating a 12.4% rise [2] - Visa has a history of exceeding earnings estimates, having beaten them in the last four quarters by an average of 3% [2] Earnings Predictions - The model predicts a likely earnings beat for Visa, supported by a positive Earnings ESP of +0.10% and a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [3] - Total Gross Dollar Volume is estimated to increase by 5.5% year-over-year, with the model predicting 5% growth [4] Transaction Growth - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for total processed transactions indicates a 10.1% year-over-year growth, while the model predicts a 9.5% increase [5] - Total payment volumes are expected to rise by 7.4% year-over-year, with U.S. operations projected to grow by 6% [6] Revenue Growth - Data processing revenues are estimated to grow by 9.2% year-over-year, while service revenues are expected to increase by 9.1% [7] - International transaction revenues are projected to grow by 12.7% year-over-year, supported by continuous growth in cross-border volumes [8] Expense Considerations - Adjusted total operating expenses are expected to rise by more than 10% year-over-year due to increased costs in various areas [10] - Client incentives are estimated to be around $3.8 billion for the fiscal second quarter [10] Stock Performance - Visa's stock has declined by 2.5% in the past month, outperforming the industry and S&P 500 declines of 4.1% and 5.9% respectively [11] - Visa is currently trading at 27.73X forward 12-month earnings, above its five-year median of 26.92X and the industry's average of 22.52X [14] Investment Outlook - Visa's low-risk, transaction-based business model positions it well in a volatile macroeconomic environment, benefiting from the shift to digital payments [17] - The company continues to invest in real-time payments and blockchain, reinforcing its long-term growth potential [17] - However, Visa faces regulatory risks and its stock is trading close to its 52-week high, suggesting limited short-term upside [18]