Consumer-Driven Stocks Boost Buybacks, Including Visa's $20B Plan

Key Points

• Interested in Visa Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better.

• Consumer-driven stocks have boosted their buyback capacity significantly, from 5% to 12% of their market capitalizations.

• This includes payments giant Visa, which added huge buyback capacity alongside a great earnings report.

• Another name plans to continue large buybacks after lowering its share count by more than 30% in less than five years.

Several stocks driven by consumer spending just made significant buyback announcements. These companies are looking to add tailwinds to their share prices. By reducing their share counts, each remaining share provides more value to owners, all else equal. Let’s dive into the key buyback news surrounding these consumer names.

Visa’s Buyback Capacity Exceeds $30 Billion After Record Quarter

First up is the world’s biggest name in the payments industry: Visa (NYSE: V). While in the finance sector, consumer spending is arguably the largest driver of Visa’s business. This leads to fee generation as transactions flow through its payment network.

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Visa hasn’t had a great start to 2026, with shares down more than 5%. However, the tide started to turn with the company’s last earnings report. Visa smashed estimates on both the top and bottom lines, and net sales growth was particularly impressive at 17.1% year over year (YOY). This marked the company’s highest net sales growth rate since 2022. Overall, Visa shares spiked 8.3% after the report, one of the stock’s largest up moves in recent memory.

To top off its impressive results, Visa added a massive $20 billion to its buyback authorization, bringing total buyback capacity to $33 billion. This is equal to a significant 5.5% of the company’s approximately $600 billion market capitalization. Notably, this comes after Visa recorded its highest buyback spending ever last quarter, coming in at $7.9 billion.

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In calendar Q1 2026, Visa shares dropped by more than 13%, their largest quarterly decline since Q1 2020, when the market tanked on COVID shocks. This clearly indicates that Visa saw an opportunity in its share price, boosting buybacks to record levels.

Positive and Negative Indicators Surround Pool

Next up is Pool (NASDAQ: POOL). As its name suggests, the company’s business revolves around swimming pools. It provides pool supplies, like cleaning chemicals, as well as equipment used in pool construction and remodeling.

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