We recently compiled a list of the 7 Best Stocks to Invest in for Medium Term. In this article, we will look at where Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) ranks among the best stocks to invest in for the medium term.

On September 18, the Federal Reserve reduced its policy rate by 50 basis points, lowering it to 4.75%–5.00% from 5.25%–5.50%. Following the announcement, stocks surged, with the broader market hitting a new intra-day all-time high and closing at its 39th record of 2024, marking the first since mid-July. The index has risen over 20% since the beginning of the year. The interest rate reduction has created new opportunities for investors, signaling a shift towards a more supportive monetary policy intended to boost economic activity. Lower interest rates generally result in reduced borrowing costs, encouraging both business expansion and consumer spending. This fosters a favorable environment, making medium-term investments, typically ranging from 3 to 5 years, more appealing.

To effectively execute this strategy, investors should evaluate several key factors in the companies they select. These include the stock’s performance over the past year, profitability, sales figures, debt levels, price-to-earnings ratio, and dividends. Additionally, assessing revenue growth and payout ratios can provide further insights.

Dividend stocks are often seen as good choices for medium-term investments, providing investors with passive income while they hold the stock. In addition, dividend-paying companies can be a smart investment during times of market volatility. A report by Hartford Funds showed that from 1940 to 2023, dividend income contributed an average of 34% to the total return of the broader market. The report also highlighted that in decades with total returns below 10%—such as the 1940s, 1960s, and 1970s—dividends made a significant impact on overall returns.

Dividend growth is the most favored approach within dividend investing, as it boosts investors’ income over time. Kirsten Cabacungan, an investment strategist in the Chief Investment Office for Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank, emphasized the significance of dividend growth strategies in investment planning. Here are some comments from the analyst:

“Generally, it’s larger, more mature companies that return capital to their shareholders in the form of dividends. Companies that have consistently increased their dividends tend to be more stable, higher quality businesses, which historically have weathered downturns and are more likely to have the ability to pay dividends consistently.”

A company’s dividend payout ratio is a crucial measure of its ability to maintain dividend flexibility. Firms that allocate most or all of their earnings to dividends may struggle under competitive pressure, as their cash flow might not be enough to sustain operations. A report by Nuveen highlighted that, historically, stocks with the highest payout ratios haven’t delivered the best long-term results. Instead, companies with moderate to moderately high payout ratios have tended to outperform over the past two decades among dividend-paying stocks. With this, we will now discuss some of the best stocks to buy for medium term.

Our Methodology:

For this list, we used a Finviz screener to to find dividend stocks with an average revenue growth of over 10% over the past five years, highlighting companies with consistent sales growth. From that selection, stocks with a five-year average payout ratio of under 40% were chosen, indicating a strong cash position. The final list includes 7 companies with the highest number of hedge fund investors, based on Insider Monkey’s Q2 2024 database.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).

Visa Inc. (NYSE:V)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 163

5-Year Average Annual Revenue Growth Rate: 10.1%

5-Year Average Payout Ratio: 22.4%  

Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is an American credit card service corporation that specializes in electronic funds transfers throughout the world. The stock has risen by almost 10% since the beginning of 2024, despite facing challenges such as inflation, reduced consumer spending, and pressure from merchants to decrease its swipe fees. One of the main reasons for its success is its business model. Visa does not issue its own credit cards; instead, it collaborates with banks and other financial institutions to provide Visa-branded cards. The company processes payments through its network, charging a swipe fee, which it splits with card issuers while retaining the rest as revenue.

This business approach has worked well for Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), as the company has delivered a 5-year average annual revenue growth of over 10%. Over the years, the company has created new segments that are growing faster than its traditional business. While these segments are still smaller in scale, they are helping to alleviate some of the pressures facing the overall business. In fiscal Q3 2024, the company reported revenue of nearly $9 billion, which showed a 10% increase from the same period last year. Its essential business metrics showed stability, with a 7% increase in payment volume, a 14% rise in cross-border transactions, and a 10% growth in processed transactions. Additionally, during the quarter, the company enhanced its global partnerships and launched several innovations designed to influence the future of commerce.

In the most recent quarter, Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) remained committed to its shareholder commitment, returning $5.8 billion to investors through dividends and share repurchases. In addition to this, the company has raised its payouts for 15 years in a row. The company’s quarterly dividend payment comes in at $0.52 per share for a dividend yield of 0.73%, as of September 19.

As of the close of Q2 2024, 163 hedge funds held stakes in Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), compared with 166 in the previous quarter, as per Insider Monkey’s database. These stakes are worth nearly $25 billion in total. With over 16.7 million shares, TCI Fund Management was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q2.

Overall, V ranks 2nd on our list of the best stocks to invest in for medium term. While we acknowledge the potential of V as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than V but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. 

READ NEXT: $30 Trillion Opportunity: 15 Best Humanoid Robot Stocks to Buy According to Morgan Stanley and Jim Cramer Says NVIDIA ‘Has Become A Wasteland’.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.