Visa and Mastercard both beat Wall Street profit estimates this earnings season, yet their stocks moved in opposite directions after Visa disclosed a restructuring plan alongside its results. Visa reported profit of $3.32 per share, beating the $3.23 consensus, and revenue of $11.6 billion, but shares fell roughly 1% after the company announced it would cut 2,600 jobs, about 7% of its workforce, and take a $563 million charge. Mastercard posted adjusted profit of $5.04 per share, well ahead of the $4.77 estimate, and revenue of $9.3 billion, sending its stock up more than 3%. The divergence highlights how investors rewarded Mastercard's cleaner beat while penalizing Visa for pairing its earnings beat with layoffs, even as Visa framed the cuts as an AI-driven efficiency move.
Mastercard IncMastercard beat profit estimates with adjusted EPS of $5.04 vs $4.77 expected, driving stock up over 3%.
Visa Inc. Class AVisa beat estimates but announced restructuring with 2,600 job cuts and a $563 million charge, causing shares to fall about 1%.
