Visa Is Having a Rare Down Year. Is the Cash Flow Machine Finally a Bargain?

Visa (NYSE: V) has historically been a market-beating stock, but it's been struggling this year, and investors are noticing several headwinds. The stock is down 2% this year, compared with a 9% increase for the S&P 500. Is this a buying opportunity?

The world's tollbooth

Visa is the largest credit card network in the world, with more than $17 trillion in payments processed last year and more than 330 billion transactions. It works with 14,500 partnering financial institutions that provide credit, while Visa provides the network that moves the money, taking a small fee from each transaction. It acts as a global "tollbooth" for payments, a service-oriented business that generates high revenue and strong profits.

This is a classic "cash cow" business, with Visa in a dominant position and high barriers to entry. Its network is entrenched in global payments, and it continually adds new services to its platform as finance enters the digital age.

Image source: Getty Images.

In the 2026 fiscal second quarter (ended March 31), revenue increased 17% year over year, while adjusted earnings per share (EPS) were up 20%. Those are powerful results, especially in the high-inflation climate.

However, the market isn't seeing it that way. There are several headwinds, specifically in the rise of stablecoins, which challenge the Visa global network, and legislation related to interchange rates. Stablecoins bypass the Visa rails, and the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) threatens to lower fees and break up the Visa-Mastercard duopoly.

On top of that, cross-border volume has been trending down over the past few quarters since it bounced back from pandemic lows.

Is Visa stock a bargain at this price?

Visa has a strong economic moat and a dominant position by far. It has an excellent, profitable business model that makes it an important part of the global economy, and it has a robust innovation engine. These are prized features, and Visa stock is typically expensive because of them.

At the current price, Visa stock trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio just under 30, which is slightly below recent averages (31 over the past three years) and much lower than historical averages (35 over the past 10 years). It's a good deal, but not an incredible bargain.

Visa is an excellent, all-weather stock to own for the long term. At this price, I'd call it a great business at a fair price, which is how Warren Buffett looks for stocks. It was part of the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio for years until Greg Abel recently sold it, and it could be a great stock to add to a diversified portfolio at the current price.

Jennifer Saibil has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.