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Tuesday's Featured Article
Consumer-Driven Stocks Boost Buybacks, Including Visa's $20B PlanAuthored by Leo Miller. Posted: 5/18/2026. 
Key Points
- 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.
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Several consumer-driven stocks have recently announced significant share buybacks. These companies are hoping to add tailwinds to their stock prices. By reducing their share counts, each remaining share represents more value to owners, all else being equal. Let’s dive into the key buyback news surrounding these consumer names. Visa’s Buyback Capacity Exceeds $30 Billion After Record QuarterFirst up is the world’s biggest name in the payments industry: Visa (NYSE: V). While it operates in the finance sector, consumer spending is arguably the biggest driver of Visa’s business. That spending fuels fee generation as transactions move through its payment network.
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Visa hasn’t had a strong start to 2026, with shares down more than 5%. However, the tide began to turn with the company’s last earnings report. Visa beat 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 jumped 8.3% after the report, one of the stock’s largest moves higher in recent memory. To top off its strong results, Visa added a massive $20 billion to its buyback authorization, bringing total buyback capacity to $33 billion. That amounts to a meaningful 5.5% of the company’s approximately $600 billion market capitalization. Notably, this comes after Visa recorded its highest buyback spending ever last quarter, at $7.9 billion. In calendar Q1 2026, Visa shares fell by more than 13%, their largest quarterly decline since Q1 2020, when markets tumbled on COVID-related shocks. This clearly suggests that Visa saw an opportunity in its share price and boosted buybacks to record levels. Positive and Negative Indicators Surround PoolNext up is Pool (NASDAQ: POOL). As its name suggests, the company’s business revolves around swimming pools. It supplies pool chemicals and equipment used in pool construction and remodeling. Pool has certainly had a rough stretch over the past several quarters. Since the start of 2025, shares are down more than 45%, and the stock has declined more than 20% in 2026. The pool industry has been in a significant rut. Sales dropped by over 10% YOY in 2023, but improved to -0.4% YOY in 2025. Trends are improving, but not as quickly as the market would like. Shares sank 14% after Pool’s February earnings report. Its guidance for 2026 called for 3% adjusted earnings per share growth, which would mark the company’s first EPS increase in several years. However, that figure still fell well short of expectations. Notably, Pool has made a significant buyback announcement, increasing its buyback capacity to $600 million. This represents a very hefty 9.3% of the firm’s approximately $6.4 billion market capitalization. Another sign of confidence is the $6.28 million worth of insider buying Pool has seen in 2026. The company has also appointed a new CEO in John B. Watwood as it looks to turn its fortunes around. On the other hand, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) recently sold its position in Pool. Boyd: Online Gambling Growth and Big-Time Shareholder ReturnsBoyd Gaming has delivered middling performance recently, up around 10% since the start of 2025. In 2026, the stock is down more than 5%. Boyd operates numerous casinos across the United States, with locations in Las Vegas, the Midwest, and the South, along with an online casino business. Total sales have been rising steadily in the low- to mid-single-digit range for the past several years. The company’s online revenue growth has been particularly strong, exceeding 40% YOY in 2024 and coming in near 17% YOY in 2025. However, online sales fell over 4% YOY in the latest quarter. Notably, Boyd uses buybacks extensively. The company says that over the past four and a half years, it has reduced its share count by 33%. Boyd recently added $500 million in buyback capacity, bringing its total capacity to $700 million. This represents a very large 11.9% of the company’s approximately $5.9 billion market capitalization. Boyd also outlined its buyback pace, saying it plans to continue spending $150 million on buybacks per quarter. This, combined with its indicated dividend yield near 1%, creates a sizable capital return program. Boyd estimates that these actions will equate to around $9 in per-share value for shareholders in 2026. That is significant, considering Boyd’s share price is around $80. Visa Buys Itself, Berkshire Exits in Q1Visa’s buyback spending last quarter stands out among this group. If Visa proves that the market undervalued it in Q1, the company could create meaningful value for shareholders. Visa also now has a sizable war chest to continue buying back stock should investors turn positive on the company. However, it is interesting to note that, in addition to selling Pool, Berkshire Hathaway completely sold its Visa position in Q1. |
