Visa
Is there value inside this enterprise that the company is not currently capturing?
Filings through Mar 31, 2026 · Market data as of Sep 16, 2026
WE MODEL THE ENTERPRISE.™
01Executive summary
Visa enters the engine with $43.0B of trailing revenue, $27.6B of GAAP-derived EBITDA and a $723.5B enterprise value. Token Clear detected 7 value pathways from the company's own filings, led by IP & Brand Monetization, Treasury Optimization and Margin Recovery Program. Counted pathways model $1.5B–$3.9B of recurring annual economics, or $37.2B–$98.0B at today's multiple (5.1%–13.6% of current enterprise value) — against a 1% Thesis of $7.2B.
- Trades at 26.2× EV / EBITDA versus a live median of 18.3× across 4 peers — a 43% premium.
- GAAP EBITDA margin compressed from 68.6% (prior fiscal year) to 64.1% trailing — about $1.9B of annual EBITDA at today's revenue.
- Revenue grew 11.3% in the latest fiscal year.
- Latest machine-readable financials end 2026-03-31. Interim results filed on non-XBRL forms (e.g. 6-K) are not ingested — treat current-quarter figures as DATA REQUIRED.
02Current enterprise state
| Fact | Value | Class | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (TTM) | $43.0B | CALCULATED | Mar 31, 2026 | 10-Q · filed 2026-04-29 |
| Revenue growth (latest FY) | 11.3% | CALCULATED | Sep 30, 2025 | FY 2025-09-30 revenue ÷ FY 2024-09-30 revenue − 1 |
| EBITDA (TTM, GAAP-derived) | $27.6B | CALCULATED | Mar 31, 2026 | Operating income + D&A |
| EBITDA margin (TTM) | 64.1% | CALCULATED | Mar 31, 2026 | EBITDA ÷ revenue |
| EBITDA margin FY2024 | 68.6% | CALCULATED | Sep 30, 2024 | (Operating income + D&A) ÷ revenue, prior fiscal year |
| Net income (TTM) | $22.2B | CALCULATED | Mar 31, 2026 | 10-Q · filed 2026-04-29 |
| Operating cash flow (TTM) | $22.8B | CALCULATED | Mar 31, 2026 | 10-Q · filed 2026-04-29 |
| Capital expenditures (TTM) | $1.6B | CALCULATED | Mar 31, 2026 | 10-Q · filed 2026-04-29 |
| Free cash flow (TTM) | $21.2B | CALCULATED | Mar 31, 2026 | Operating cash flow − capex |
| Cash & short-term investments | $12.4B | REPORTED | Mar 31, 2026 | 10-Q · filed 2026-04-29 |
| Total debt | $24.0B | REPORTED | Mar 31, 2026 | 10-Q · filed 2026-04-29 |
| Shareholders' equity | $35.7B | REPORTED | Mar 31, 2026 | 10-Q · filed 2026-04-29 |
| Shares outstanding | 1.92B | CALCULATED | Mar 31, 2026 | 10-Q · filed 2026-04-29 |
| Share price | $370.93 | REPORTED | Sep 16, 2026 | Yahoo Finance · NYSE |
| Market capitalization | $712.0B | CALCULATED | Sep 16, 2026 | Share price × shares outstanding |
| Enterprise value | $723.5B | CALCULATED | Sep 16, 2026 | Market cap + total debt − cash & short-term investments |
| EV / EBITDA | 26.2× | CALCULATED | Sep 16, 2026 | Enterprise value ÷ EBITDA (TTM) |
03Evidence quality
04Value pathways
Ranked by deterministic Token Clear score. Each pathway lists the evidence that triggered it, the assumptions that size it, and what stands in its way.
Visa carries $27.8B of identified intangible assets plus $20.9B of goodwill (51.2% of total assets). Licensing and brand partnerships can earn incremental returns on assets already paid for.
Visa holds $12.4B of cash and short-term investments against an operating reserve of $4.3B (10% of TTM revenue). A tiered treasury policy on the $8.1B above reserve can raise yield without reducing liquidity coverage.
EBITDA margin has compressed from 68.6% to 64.1% on a trailing basis. On $43.0B of revenue, each point recovered is worth $430.3M of annual EBITDA. Token Clear models recovering part of the 4.4% gap through pricing, mix, procurement and AI-driven operating efficiency.
Visa moves money at scale. Programmable settlement and stablecoin rails can add settlement revenue and reduce float and cross-border cost.
Proprietary transaction, usage and customer data across $43.0B of revenue can be packaged into permissioned benchmarking, risk and AI products for customers and partners.
Stock-based compensation is $920.0M a year (2.1% of revenue). Participation structures that align employees with measured enterprise outcomes can deliver the same retention with less dilution.
A board-approved policy could allocate 0.5%–2.0% of the $8.1B excess liquidity to digital-asset reserves tied to the settlement and custody products the business already runs. Returns are price-dependent and are not modeled.
05Financial scenarios
| Scenario | Pathway EBITDA | Modeled EBITDA | EV at today's 25.0× | vs. today | EV at peer 18.3× (re-rating) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today (reported) | $0.00 | $27.6B | $689.7B | -4.7% | $505.0B |
| Conservative | $1.5B | $29.1B | $726.9B | 0.5% | $532.3B |
| Base | $2.7B | $30.3B | $757.3B | 4.7% | $554.6B |
| Strategic | $3.9B | $31.5B | $787.7B | 8.9% | $576.8B |
Scenario columns apply the low, midpoint and high end of every counted pathway range. The peer column isolates a market re-rating and is shown for sensitivity only.
06Multiple Intelligence™
| Driver | Visa | Peer median | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 11.3% | 3.6% | ahead |
| EBITDA margin | 64.1% | 25.1% | ahead |
| FCF conversion | 76.8% | 77.1% | in line |
| Return on invested capital | 44.0% | 13.2% | ahead |
| Net leverage | 0.4× | 0.4× | in line |
| Capex intensity | 3.7% | 2.6% | in line |
| Stock comp / revenue | 2.1% | 1.8% | in line |
Peer set (4 valid of 5): MA 23.8× · PYPL 6.9× · XYZ 29.7× · FISV (excluded: Multiple not computable) · GPN 12.9×.
07The 1% Thesis™ — validated bottom-up
08Recommended sequence & 90-day proof of value
- • IP & Brand Monetization
- • Treasury Optimization
- • Programmable Settlement & Stablecoin Rails
- • Margin Recovery Program
- • Data & AI Products
- • Employee Ownership & Retention Program
- • Reserve Diversification Policy (Digital Assets)
| Days 1–15 | Validate | Confirm reported facts, peer set and every ASSUMPTION with Visa finance leadership; close DATA REQUIRED gaps from primary filings. |
| Days 16–45 | Design | Detailed design for NOW pathways: IP & Brand Monetization, Treasury Optimization, Programmable Settlement & Stablecoin Rails. Counsel review of regulatory blockers. |
| Days 46–75 | Approve & activate | Human approval gate per pathway; activate approved pathways with defined owners and baselines. |
| Days 76–90 | Measure | Baseline vs. target vs. actual on the first measurable metrics; decide on NEXT pathways and a platform engagement. |
09Risks & dependencies
- Money-transmission, stablecoin and banking-partner requirements vary by jurisdiction.
- Data rights, privacy and customer consent.
- Accounting, custody and board risk-appetite approval required.
10Methodology & disclosures
Evidence classes. REPORTED taken from SEC XBRL filings or delayed market data · CALCULATED deterministic derivation with formula · BENCHMARK live peer comparable · ASSUMPTION explicit, challengeable input · SCENARIO output of stated assumptions.
Calculations. Trailing-twelve-month figures are fiscal year + current year-to-date − prior year-to-date. EBITDA is operating income plus depreciation and amortization (GAAP-derived, excluding non-GAAP adjustments). Enterprise value is market capitalization plus total debt less cash and short-term investments, excluding leases, minority interest and preferred equity. Non-USD filers are converted at spot. Recurring pathway economics are valued at today's multiple; overlapping pathways are counted once and contingent pathways are excluded.
Governance. AI does not perform or override valuation arithmetic. Scoring configuration is confidential and server-side. No pathway proceeds without human approval.
Disclosure. This study provides enterprise-value intelligence, scenario modeling and strategic analysis. Illustrative scenarios are not forecasts, guarantees, investment recommendations or assurances of market valuation. Market prices and valuation multiples are determined by investors and market conditions. Certain strategies require legal, tax, accounting, regulatory and other professional review before implementation.