Visa (V) Laps the Stock Market: Here's Why

Core Viewpoint - Visa is expected to report strong earnings performance with a forecasted EPS of $3.14, reflecting a 14.18% increase year-over-year, and quarterly revenue of $10.68 billion, up 12.28% from the previous year [2][3]. Group 1: Stock Performance - Visa's stock closed at $331.24, showing a +1.27% increase, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 0.19% [1]. - Prior to the latest trading session, Visa shares had declined by 2.93%, underperforming the Business Services sector's loss of 0.83% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.33% [1]. Group 2: Earnings Estimates - For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $12.81 per share and revenue of $44.4 billion, indicating increases of +11.68% and +10.99% respectively from the previous year [3]. - Recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Visa are crucial as they often indicate changes in near-term business trends, with positive revisions suggesting a favorable business outlook [3]. Group 3: Valuation Metrics - Visa's current Forward P/E ratio is 25.54, which is a premium compared to the industry average of 13.98 [6]. - The PEG ratio for Visa stands at 1.94, while the Financial Transaction Services industry has an average PEG ratio of 1.03 [6]. Group 4: Industry Context - The Financial Transaction Services industry, part of the Business Services sector, holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 157, placing it in the bottom 37% of over 250 industries [7]. - The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of industry groups based on the average Zacks Rank of individual stocks, with the top 50% rated industries outperforming the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [7].