Morningstar | A Slowdown in Cross-Border Transactions Continues to Bite Visa in Fiscal 2Q
Visa saw a somewhat soft fiscal second quarter, but the headwinds the company faced were largely expected. Overall, nothing in the results alters our long-term view for this wide-moat franchise, and we will maintain our $148 per share fair value estimate.Visa reported an 8% increase in net revenue for its fiscal second quarter, with currency effects having a negative impact of 1.5% on top-line results. This level of growth marks a deceleration from recent levels and was a bit below our long-term expectations. While management pointed to a few factors driving the slowdown, such as fewer processing days in the quarter, we view the slowdown in cross-border transactions as the most important, given that they are particularly lucrative for Visa.
Management had previously warned that the quarter would be weak, with final results of 6% year-over-year growth in cross-border volumes, excluding currency effects and the reclassification of some transactions, being in line with expectations. Management attributed the slowdown to a stronger dollar and macroeconomic impacts, but also noted that the issue eased as Visa moved through the quarter. At this point, we accept this as the driver, but also think that smaller and more regional networks are building out capacity for cross-border transactions, which could eat into growth a bit in the coming years--a situation that bears watching.
One bright note during the quarter was that client incentives remain contained, coming in at 21.2% of total revenue for the period. While management expects that level to rise through the year, they see the full-year figure coming in at the lower end of their projected 22%-23% range.
Second-quarter operating margins (based on net revenue) improved to 66.3% from 65.8% in the prior year's period. We continue to believe the scalable nature of the business and the secular tailwinds the company enjoys on the top line will allow for margin expansion over time.
Visa is engaged in digital payments. The company facilitates payments between consumers and businesses. The company is focused on its proprietary network, VisaNet, to provide products and services. The company provides a portfolio of business payment solutions, including small business, corporate (travel) cards, purchasing cards, virtual cards/digital credentials, non-card cross-border business-to-business payment options and disbursement accounts, covering various main industry segments around the world. The company also provides several capabilities and services, including fraud prevention and security, processing, loyalty, merchant and digital solutions, consulting and data solutions.
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offer an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors.
Morningstar provides data on approximately 530,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 18 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries and had approximately $185 billion in assets under advisement and management as of June 30, 2016.
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