If You'd Invested $1,000 in Visa 10 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today

Source The Motley Fool

Key Points

  • Investors would've preferred to own Visa shares instead of an S&P 500 index fund in the past decade.

  • The company benefits from a durable growth tailwind as cashless transactions become more widely adopted.

  • 10 stocks we like better than Visa ›

Visa (NYSE: V) dominates the card payments industry. During fiscal 2025 (ended Sept. 30), it handled an unbelievable $16.7 trillion in payment volume. It has global reach, facilitating payments in more than 220 countries and territories. Most readers probably have a Visa-branded debit or credit card in their wallets right now.

With this kind of market dominance, it's not surprising to learn that shares have performed well. If you'd invested $1,000 in this top financial stock 10 years ago, here's how much you'd have today.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Checking out at physical point of sale with Visa card.

Image source: Visa.

Visa shares outpace the S&P 500

Over the past decade, shares of Visa have produced a total return of 385% (as of Dec. 22). Investors during this time would've seen a $1,000 initial capital outlay turn into $4,884 today.

That gain outpaces the S&P 500. The benchmark's total return during the same period was 302%.

Strong financial results lead the way

Visa collected $13.9 billion in revenue in fiscal 2015, a figure that climbed 188% to $40 billion in fiscal 2025. Greater adoption of cashless payment methods has propelled growth, with Visa currently having 4.9 billion cards in use around the world.

Net income soared in the last 10 years. This is one of the most profitable businesses on Earth. Visa's net profit margin last year was a stellar 50%.

Should you buy stock in Visa right now?

Before you buy stock in Visa, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Visa wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $502,783!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,126,057!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 975% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of December 23, 2025.

Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
When is the BoJ rate decision and how could it affect USD/JPY?The Bank of Japan (BoJ) will announce its interest rate decision between 03.30 and 05.00 GMT, followed by Governor Kazuo Ueda's press conference at 06.30 GMT.
Author  FXStreet
Dec 19, Fri
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) will announce its interest rate decision between 03.30 and 05.00 GMT, followed by Governor Kazuo Ueda's press conference at 06.30 GMT.
placeholder
Pi Network Price Annual Forecast: PI Heads Into a Volatile 2026 as Utility Questions Collide With Big UnlocksPi Network heads into 2026 after a 90%+ 2025 drawdown from $3.00, with 17.5 million KYC users and a smart-contract-focused Stellar v23 upgrade offering upside potential, but 1.21 billion tokens unlocking and heavy exchange deposits (437 million PI) keeping supply pressure and trust risks firmly in focus.
Author  Mitrade
Dec 19, Fri
Pi Network heads into 2026 after a 90%+ 2025 drawdown from $3.00, with 17.5 million KYC users and a smart-contract-focused Stellar v23 upgrade offering upside potential, but 1.21 billion tokens unlocking and heavy exchange deposits (437 million PI) keeping supply pressure and trust risks firmly in focus.
placeholder
Bitcoin Traders Split on Whether BTC Will Drop to $70K or Rebound SoonBitcoin market participants hold divided views for short-term price action, with targets ranging vastly between $150,000 and a potential drop back to $70,000.
Author  Mitrade
Dec 22, Mon
Bitcoin market participants hold divided views for short-term price action, with targets ranging vastly between $150,000 and a potential drop back to $70,000.
placeholder
Gold jumps above $4,440 as geopolitical flare, Fed cut bets mountGold (XAU/USD) rallies over 2% on Monday, reaching a record high of $4,442 amid rising geopolitical tensions and expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will continue to reduce interest rates next year, pushing US Treasury yields lower.
Author  FXStreet
23 hours ago
Gold (XAU/USD) rallies over 2% on Monday, reaching a record high of $4,442 amid rising geopolitical tensions and expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will continue to reduce interest rates next year, pushing US Treasury yields lower.
placeholder
After Wall Street’s 2025 Crypto Surge, What’s Next for Demand in 2026?​The anticipation of a bullish 2026 for the crypto market faces obstacles, despite 2025's success attributed to favorable regulatory actions and increased acceptance of digital assets by Wall Street.
Author  Mitrade
23 hours ago
​The anticipation of a bullish 2026 for the crypto market faces obstacles, despite 2025's success attributed to favorable regulatory actions and increased acceptance of digital assets by Wall Street.
goTop
quote