Starter Stock Portfolio: 12 Safe Stocks to Buy

5. Visa Inc. (NYSE:V)

No. of Hedge Fund Holders: 181

Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is a leading global payment technology company. At its core is VisaNet, a vast transaction processing network facilitating the secure authorization, clearing, and settlement of electronic payments worldwide. Visa offers a comprehensive suite of payment products, including credit, debit, and prepaid cards, not to mention modern solutions like tap to pay, tokenization, and click to pay for seamless transactions. Its portfolio also includes Visa Direct for real-time fund transfers to cards, bank accounts, and digital wallets, and Visa B2B Connect for secure cross-border business payments. Visa Cross-Border Solution caters to international consumer payments. Through Visa DPS, they offer value-added services encompassing fraud mitigation, dispute management, data analytics, and digital solutions.

There is no doubt that the company is a pioneer of digital payments, becoming one of the most preferred methods of payment globally. Visa Inc. (NYSE:V)’s latest earnings report for Q1 2025 showed revenue of $9.51 billion, beating estimates by $170.7 million. EPS was $2.75, while EBITDA was $6.81 billion. A key metric to follow for Visa is the number of new cards issued in Q1 2025, which rose to nearly 4.7 billion from 4.5 billion compared to the same quarter last year. The number of transactions has also increased, from 57.47 billion to 63.0 billion for the same period.

The company provided guidance on the upcoming quarter, with revenue of $9.58 billion and an EPS of $2.68. With an upside of 17.32%, Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is considered to be one of the best beginner stocks to invest in.