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Today's Bonus Story Why Mastercard and Visa Are the Definition of Forever StocksBy Jordan Chussler. Originally Published: 3/14/2026. 
Key Points - The financials sector has lagged the S&P 500 this year, but two payment processing giants continue to deliver the kind of margins and earnings consistency that define long-term holdings.
- Despite recent sector-wide struggles, Visa and Mastercard function as a veritable duopoly, controlling over 90% of payments outside of China.
- Visa hasn't missed on earnings in 10 years, while Mastercard has secured 21 consecutive quarterly beats.
- Special Report: Elon Musk: This Could Turn $100 into $100,000
After finishing the past two years with an average annual gain of nearly 23%, the financials sector has struggled this year. With a year-to-date loss of around 9%, the sector ranks last among the S&P 500's 11 groups. Zooming out, however, the companies that live in this sector remain key components of many buy-and-hold portfolios. Newmont, the world's largest gold miner, doubled over the past year — beating Apple, Nvidia, Meta, Tesla, Amazon, and Google. And more than two dozen smaller names have done even better. JC Parets calls it the "Chaos Cycle," a 135-year-old pattern where overlooked real-asset stocks quietly deliver the biggest gains in decades. He just recorded an urgent briefing on what's driving this shift — including one stock name he's giving away free. Go here for JC's full briefing As high-quality growth names become harder to find, two legacy companies in global payment processing and digital payments continue to deliver profit margins and business characteristics that qualify them as true forever stocks. Why Digital Payment and Payment Processors Make for Good Forever Stocks These companies have historically enjoyed higher profit margins than many other industries, thanks to high-volume demand, automation-friendly operations, and technology-driven models that translate into low marginal costs per transaction. The industry is also poised for solid growth. According to industry analytics firm Grand View Research, the global payment processing solutions market, valued at nearly $48 billion in 2022, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5% through 2030, reaching nearly $140 billion. Grand View also forecasts the digital payment market, valued at more than $114 billion in 2024, will expand at a 21.4% CAGR through 2030 to more than $361 billion. Despite that growth and attractive gross margins suggesting competition, two of the largest players still operate in a near-duopoly, handling over 90% of credit card and digital payments processed outside China. With origins dating back to the mid-1900s, these companies control much of the payment infrastructure, which helps them set fees, limit competitive pressure and preserve strong margins. While firms such as Block (NYSE: XYZ), with its Cash App, and PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL), with Venmo, aim to disrupt the space, two incumbents stand out as archetypal forever stocks. Mastercard: The $450 Billion Market Cap Company Focusing on Tech Integration Since Michael Miebach became CEO of Mastercard (NYSE: MA) in 2021, management has emphasized expanding tech platforms, supporting cross-border commerce, and building services that reduce fraud, streamline payment flows and turn payments data into actionable insights. That strategy helped Mastercard post record revenue and net income in 2025. Revenue of nearly $33 billion represented a year-over-year increase of more than 16%, while net income of nearly $15 billion rose by a similar margin. Much of that profitability came from an effectively 100% gross margin throughout 2025, driven by tech integrations and a minimal cost of goods sold—meaning quarterly gross profit essentially matched quarterly net revenue. For investors, the results have translated into consistent earnings delivery. The last time Mastercard missed earnings was Q3 2020, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the company has recorded 21 consecutive quarterly earnings beats. Most recently, Mastercard reported Q4 2025 EPS of $4.76, a nearly 25% year-over-year increase. Analysts expect Mastercard's earnings to rise about 17% next year, from $15.91 to $18.61 per share. Mastercard has been shifting from a traditional payments network toward an AI-driven, software-focused enterprise that emphasizes enhanced security, simplified B2B transactions with virtual cards, and agentic AI tools. Additionally, Mastercard pays a dividend. While the yield is modest (currently 0.69%), the company has increased its payout for 13 consecutive years, maintains a sustainable dividend payout ratio of 21.07%, and has an annualized five-year dividend growth rate of 13.70%. Visa: Evolving and Adapting Since 1958 Visa (NYSE: V) operates a network-based model that lets partner banks and financial institutions issue branded payment products while Visa concentrates on infrastructure, standards and technology integration. Like Mastercard, Visa is integrating fintech innovations, focusing on AI-driven solutions and blockchain-based settlement, with the goal of moving from traditional card-based transactions to more flexible, digital-first experiences by 2026. That strategy helped Visa also post record revenue and net income in 2025, with revenue of about $40 billion—an 11% year-over-year increase—and net income approaching $20 billion. Visa's consistency is notable: the company has not missed earnings in the past 10 years, meeting analyst expectations twice and beating EPS estimates 38 times during that span. Much of Visa's performance derives from strong margins: the company reported a roughly 83% gross profit margin in 2025, consistent with its 10-year average. Like Mastercard, Visa pays a modest dividend (currently yielding 0.87%). Its dividend payout ratio is a healthy 25.14%, its annualized five-year dividend growth rate is 14.48%, and the company has raised its payout for 17 consecutive years. Both Mastercard and Visa combine durable business models, attractive margins and consistent earnings power—characteristics that make them compelling long-term holdings for investors seeking reliable, growth-oriented "forever" stocks. | 
