Anti-trust concerns threaten these deals

Article Excerpt

Takeovers are a great way for companies to enter new markets and add value. We like Visa’s takeover of a small fintech company, but anti-trust regulators could kill the deal. Another deal to acquire railroad operator Kansas City Southern would also likely face regulatory hurdles. VISA INC. $208 is a buy. The stock (New York symbol V; Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 2.2 billion; Market cap: $457.6 billion; Dividend yield: 0.6%; Takeover Target Rating: Lowest; www.visa.com) gives you exposure to the world’s largest electronic-payments network. It processes credit, debit, prepaid and commercial transactions in over 200 countries. In January 2020, Visa agreed to buy privately held Plaid Inc. for $5.3 billion. That firm makes software that helps consumers securely link their banking accounts to a wide variety of mobile payment applications. Plaid will expand Visa’s access to financial-technology firms while accelerating its movement outside of traditional cards. This is a key diversification move—card networks like Visa are worried that consumer payments could move away…