The first companies that succeeded to reach $1 trillion in stock market value were mostly tech and internet businesses. However, the next U.S. companies that could join this prestigious club are Mastercard Inc. and Visa Inc.
Revenue for both Visa and Mastercard practically doubled over their past five fiscal years, to nearly $23 billion for Visa, and about $17 billion for Mastercard, according to Refinitiv data. Adjusted earnings per share more than doubled for both companies over that period.
Lisa Ellis, senior analyst at MoffettNathanson says that approximately 43% of consumer purchases around the world ( without China) are made through some sort of digital payment.
She added that Visa currently has a 60% share of the credit and debit card market. Mastercard has 30%, and American Express holds 8.5%.
Even though at first it seems those two companies are far inside the financial sector, according to S&P500, they fit into the information technology sector.
The big run for Visa and Mastercard shares has also come during a more than 10-year US bull market, and gains could be more muted in any downturn. Stocks started 2020 strong but have pulled back amid concerns over the spread of a virus from China.
