Is Visa (V) The Best Payments and Finance Stock to Buy for 2026? Analyst Comments

We recently published Top 9 AI and Non-Tech Stocks to Watch Amid Latest Earnings Season. Visa Inc (NYSE:V) is one of the top AI and non-tech stocks.

Tim Seymour, founder and Chief Investment Officer of Seymour Asset Management, said in a recent program on CNBC that Visa Inc (NYSE:V) is looking “excellent” into 2026 amid a strong consumer environment and the company’s rising volumes.

“We’ve gotten some light on that consumer from the Chase data and some of the issuer data, and the consumer is fine. In fact, in the current environment that we have, Visa is an interesting stock to own. It certainly changed trades relative to itself over the last few years and is definitely cheap on that relative spread to Mastercard. I think a lot of traders and investors look at that. In a sideways or, let’s just say, the current macro environment, Visa Inc (NYSE:V) looks excellent into 2026. We’re going to see U.S. volumes probably 100 basis points better; that’s what the Street is saying. The 2026 guidance looks good, with high single digits to low double digits on an FX-neutral basis. That’s all you probably need to see the stock continue to grind higher.”

Sands Capital Select Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter:

Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) operates the world’s largest retail electronic payment network. Shares declined in June amid a broader selloff in card network stocks following stablecoin-related headlines. Unlike the market, we do not view stablecoin proliferation as a threat to card volumes; in fact, we believe it could expand the addressable market for card networks. While stablecoins may have utility in cross-border business-to business transactions, we think they are unlikely to disrupt consumer-to-merchant payments, where cards offer a compelling value proposition—rewards, liquidity, ubiquity, buyer protections, and trust. Moreover, card networks could enhance stablecoin adoption by providing the rules, protections, and services needed for broader, mainstream use.

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 have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

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