Stock price when the opinion was issued
Though he's not a fundamental analyst, he can offer a small insight into the credit industry. There's been a lot of talk that's there's probably going to be some reason for the Fed to ease, and that's because the economy is probably slowing down. Purchases will be down, so Visa and the like will suffer.
That's probably why it's stopped moving up to the same degree as the S&P 500. Looking at the chart, you can see the consolidation pattern; as long as the pattern doesn't break, you're OK. Don't assume anything. If it breaks to the upside, you want to be a longer-term owner. But it could also break to the downside, possibly for the fundamental reason mentioned above. So you need to be cautious on this one. The consolidation could be a warning sign.
Great business, growing secularly. Dominant position in a tight oligopoly. Domestic (40%) and overseas (60%). Expects earnings to continue to compound at ~12-14% pace over coming several years. Competitive moat means not likely to be disrupted.
Has pulled back about 8%, while equity market is making new highs. One to buy the dip. At ~27x PE, trades at small discount to MA right now. MA is growing faster, around 15%. But trades at 32-33x PE.
He'd be fine with buying either one or both for the very long term.
Likes the long-term secular growth. 50% of world's transactions are still in cash. Seeing more cross-border transactions and leisure travel. Few competitors. Underperformed S&P since April, but still OK. Lots of $$ is chasing tech, but this name's up 27% last 12 months. 28x PE for 13-15% growth, a bit of a premium. Still likes.
Visa (V-N) or Mastercard (MA-N)? Likes the electronic payment space. Cash and cheques are still the predominant form of payment in many countries, so there’s lots of runway, even in developed markets. Bought Visa a couple of years ago and is happy to keep holding it. Benefits of buying Visa Europe will come through this year in terms of integration. There are opportunities for both companies in terms of market share -- no reason to switch from one to the other.