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Post Holdings vs Visa: Revenue, Profit and Business Model

Post Holdings reported $6.2B of revenue in FY2026 and $242.1M of net income. Visa reported $40B of revenue in FY2025 and $20.1B of net income.

Latest financial snapshot

Post Holdings

Latest revenue
$6.2B (FY2026)
Net income
$242.1M
Net margin
3.9%
Revenue growth
+2.1% a year, FY2016–FY2026

Visa

Latest revenue
$40B (FY2025)
Net income
$20.1B
Net margin
50.1%
Revenue growth
+11.4% a year, FY2016–FY2025

Financial summary

Post Holdings

Post Holdings grew net sales from $4.71 billion in fiscal 2020 to $8.158 billion in fiscal 2025, mostly through acquisitions such as the Smucker pet food brands (2023), Perfection Pet Foods (2023), Potato Products of Idaho (March 2025) and 8th Avenue Food & Provisions (July 2025). Fiscal 2025 net earnings were $335.7 million. For the nine months to June 30, 2026, net sales rose to $6.166 billion and Adjusted EBITDA to $1.191 billion, while net earnings fell 15% to $242.1 million on higher interest costs. Post does not pay a dividend and repurchased 9.1 million shares for $908.8 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2026. Management narrowed fiscal 2026 Adjusted EBITDA guidance to $1.56-$1.57 billion.

Visa

Visa's fiscal year ends September 30. Fiscal 2025 net revenue was USD 40.0 billion, up 11% from USD 35.9 billion in fiscal 2024, and GAAP net income was USD 20.1 billion. Growth continued in fiscal 2026: in the third quarter (April to June 2026) net revenue rose 14% to USD 11.6 billion, quarterly payments volume passed USD 4 trillion for the first time, and Visa returned USD 6.2 billion to shareholders through buybacks and dividends. Fiscal 2026 full-year results are due in late October 2026.

Revenue and profit by year

Post Holdings

Post Holdings revenue, net income, margin and growth by fiscal year
YearRevenueNet incomeMarginGrowthSource
FY2026$6.2B$242.1M3.9%-24.4%Source
FY2025$8.2B$335.7M4.1%+3.0%Source
FY2024$7.9B$366.7M4.6%+13.3%Source
FY2023$7B$301.3M4.3%+19.5%Source
FY2022$5.9B$756.6M12.9%+17.5%Source
FY2021$5B$166.7M3.3%+5.7%Source
FY2020$4.7B$800,0000.0%-17.1%Source
FY2019$5.7B$124.7M2.2%-9.2%Source
FY2018$6.3B$467.3M7.5%+19.7%Source
FY2017$5.2B$48.3M0.9%+4.0%Source
FY2016$5B-$3.3M-0.1%—Source
Full Post Holdings financials

Visa

Visa revenue, net income, margin and growth by fiscal year
YearRevenueNet incomeMarginGrowthSource
FY2025$40B$20.1B50.1%+11.3%Source
FY2024$35.9B$19.7B55.0%+10.0%Source
FY2023$32.7B$17.3B52.9%+11.4%Source
FY2022$29.3B$15B51.0%+21.6%Source
FY2021$24.1B$12.3B51.1%+10.3%Source
FY2020$21.8B$10.9B49.7%-4.9%Source
FY2019$23B$12.1B52.6%+11.5%Source
FY2018$20.6B$10.3B50.0%+12.3%Source
FY2017$18.4B$6.7B36.5%+21.7%Source
FY2016$15.1B$6B39.7%—Source
Full Visa financials

Where the revenue comes from

Post Holdings

  • Post Consumer Brands

    Not formally reported

    Cereal, granola, pet food, nut butters, and pantry products.

  • Weetabix

    Not formally reported

    U.K. cereal and breakfast products.

  • Foodservice

    Not formally reported

    Egg products and foodservice ingredients.

  • Refrigerated Retail

    Not formally reported

    Bob Evans side dishes, sausage and egg products. The Crystal Farms dairy business was sold on May 1, 2026.

Visa

  • Service revenue
  • Data processing revenue
  • International transaction revenue
  • Value-added services
  • Visa Direct
  • Fraud and risk tools

Business model and strategy

Post Holdings

How it makes money

Post makes money by manufacturing and selling packaged food through four segments. Post Consumer Brands sells branded and private-label cereal and granola (Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, Malt-O-Meal), pet food (Rachael Ray Nutrish, Nature's Recipe, 9Lives, Kibbles 'n Bits) and Peter Pan peanut butter to grocery, mass and club retailers.

Growth strategy

Post grows mainly by buying businesses and integrating them into existing plants and sales teams. Recent moves include the $1.2 billion purchase of Smucker pet food brands (April 2023), Perfection Pet Foods for $235 million (December 2023), Potato Products of Idaho (March 2025) and 8th Avenue Food & Provisions (July 2025).

Competitive advantage

Post's edge is scale in less glamorous categories plus a capital-allocation discipline that treats acquisitions, debt and buybacks as interchangeable uses of cash. Michael Foods is a major supplier of value-added eggs to foodservice, Weetabix is the UK's number-one selling ready-to-eat cereal brand, and Post Consumer Brands covers both branded and private-label cereal, which lets it sell to shoppers who trade down.

Post Holdings business model in full

Visa

How it makes money

Visa earns fees from the banks and other clients that use its network, not interest from cardholders. Its reported revenue lines are service revenue (based on payments volume), data processing revenue (based on transactions authorized, cleared and settled over VisaNet), international transaction revenue (cross-border and currency conversion activity) and other revenue, including value-added services such as fraud and…

Growth strategy

Visa's growth strategy is to expand credentials, increase digital acceptance, grow cross-border and e-commerce volume, sell more value-added services, scale Visa Direct, support tap-to-pay and tokenized commerce, and embed Visa capabilities inside fintech and banking platforms.

Competitive advantage

Visa's moat is a three-sided network effect. Consumers use Visa because merchants accept it, merchants accept Visa because consumers carry it, and banks issue Visa credentials because both sides already participate. The company also has fraud data, global rules, brand trust, dispute standards, token infrastructure, and bank relationships built across decades. A competitor cannot simply copy the software;

Visa business model in full

Questions about Post Holdings vs Visa

Which company has higher revenue — Post Holdings, Inc. or Visa Inc.?

Post Holdings, Inc. reported $6.2B (FY2026), while Visa Inc. reported $40.0B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Visa Inc. is the larger business, with Post Holdings, Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.

What is the market cap of Post Holdings, Inc. vs Visa Inc.?

Post Holdings, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $4.7B, while Visa Inc.'s is $676.0B. Visa Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Post Holdings, Inc..

Which is more financially efficient — Post Holdings, Inc. or Visa Inc.?

Post Holdings, Inc. generates $468k / employee in revenue per employee, while Visa Inc. generates $1.17M / employee. Visa Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.

How do Post Holdings, Inc. and Visa Inc. make money?

Post Holdings, Inc. and Visa Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Post Holdings, Inc.: Post makes money by manufacturing and selling packaged food through four segments. Visa Inc.: Visa earns fees from the banks and other clients that use its network, not interest from cardholders.

Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Post Holdings, Inc. or Visa Inc.?

On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Post Holdings, Inc. trades at 0.8x P/S and Visa Inc. at 16.9x P/S. Visa Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Post Holdings, Inc.. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.

Is Post Holdings, Inc. bigger than Visa Inc.?

By last reported revenue, Visa Inc. ($40.0B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Post Holdings, Inc. ($6.2B (FY2026)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.

Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Post Holdings vs Visa overview

Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.