Citigroup maintains Visa at Buy, raises price target to $490 from $440

Visa has added Monad to its stablecoin settlement program, which now processes over $25B annually. Monad confirmed the integration, allowing issuers and acquirers to settle Visa obligations using stablecoins. Visa's CEO reported a tenfold increase in settlement volume from a year earlier. The program supports 10 blockchains and 225 stablecoin-linked card programs across 50+ countries.

Visa added Monad to its stablecoin settlement program, offering another blockchain option for issuers and acquirers. Monad is developing privacy tools for confidential transactions. Visa's stablecoin settlement run rate reached $20 billion annually as of September 2026, with over 225 stablecoin-linked card programs globally.

Visa added Monad to its stablecoin payments network, allowing card issuers to settle payments via Monad. Visa's stablecoin settlement volume reached $20 billion annualized in September, up 15x year-over-year. Monad plans to launch a privacy feature for institutions. Visa supports multiple blockchains for stablecoin payments.

Visa (V) raised its quarterly dividend by 16% to $0.78 per share, though its yield remains low at 0.71%. The dividend consumed 23% of fiscal 2026 free cash flow, leaving room for growth. Buybacks, which also consume free cash flow, have increased net debt to $11.5 billion. Analysts expect earnings growth to support these payouts, with normalized EPS projected to rise 13% in fiscal 2027 and 14% in fiscal 2028.

Visa and Mesh partnered to enable crypto and stablecoin spending at 175M merchants. Mesh handles conversion, KYC, and onboarding. Visa's global network and Mesh's enterprise clients aim to solve the 'last-mile' crypto payment issue. No launch date or commercial terms were disclosed.

Visa forecasts a 4.5% rise in U.S. holiday retail sales, the fastest since 2021, but notes inflation accounts for much of the growth. Excluding inflation, sales are projected to increase just 1.1%. Average gift spending is expected to rise to $777, up 5.6% from last year. Visa's research highlights consumer resilience despite higher prices, with lower-income households focusing on value.