With a $90.21 billion market cap, Fiserv, Inc. (FI) provides payments and financial technology services globally. Over the past few years, the broader fintech sector has struggled due to banks’ reluctance to experiment and interest rate hikes impacting payment volumes.
However, Fiserv stands out as a strong performer as the company has long-standing contracts with major banks. FI’s stock has surged more than 80% over the past five years. Moreover, the stock has gained nearly 25% over the past six months.
Further, the fintech company has secured significant attention from institutions lately. Institutions own around 92.5% of FI. JPMorgan Chase & Co, Vanguard Group Inc, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc, Envestnet Asset Management Inc, Scharf Investments, LLC, DSM Capital Partners LLC, and UBS Group AG bought more FI stock.
Institutional investors generally conduct in-depth research and analysis before investing, which can be viewed as a vote of confidence in FI’s potential. They are known to have the resources and specialized knowledge for extensively researching investment opportunities that are not open to retail investors.
So, the increasing buying activity from several institutions reflects an optimistic sentiment toward FI’s performance and growth outlook.
Let’s analyze FI’s latest earnings report and other factors driving institutional interest in this payment processing company.
Robust First-Quarter 2024 Results
For the first quarter that ended March 31, 2024, FI’s revenue increased 7.4% % year-over-year to $4.88 billion. The company’s processing and services revenue rose 8.9% year-over-year. Its adjusted operating income was $1.63 billion, up 13.4% from the previous year’s quarter.
In addition, Fiserv’s adjusted net income and earnings per share came in at $1.12 billion and $1.88, increases of 12% and 19% year-over-year, respectively. Further, as of March 31, 2024, the company’s total current assets stood at $37.09 billion, compared to $34.81 billion as of December 31, 2023.
During the first quarter, the company repurchased 10.2 million shares of common stock for $1.5 billion.
Regarding outstanding financial performance, Frank Bisignano, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Fiserv, added, “We continued to execute on our resilient business model by improving productivity, delivering innovative products and services, and cross-selling into our diverse and high-quality client base.”
Upbeat Full-Year 2024 Outlook
For the fiscal year 2024, FI affirmed the organic revenue growth outlook of 15% to 17%. The company also raised its earnings per share guidance to $8.60 to $8.75, representing a growth of 14% to 16% for 2024.
“Fiserv remains committed to our virtuous cycle of investment, revenue growth, operating leverage, capital return and re-investment for further growth, reinforced with a focus on clients, operational excellence, and a strong balance sheet,” stated CEO Frank Bisignano.
He added, “This proven model, along with our strong first quarter results, led us to raise our 2024 adjusted earnings per share outlook for the full year.”
Favorable Analyst Estimates
Analysts expect FI’s revenue to increase 8.2% year-over-year to $4.88 billion for the second quarter ending June 2024. The consensus EPS estimate of $2.10 for the ongoing quarter indicates an improvement of 16% year-over-year. Moreover, Fiserv has surpassed consensus revenue and EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, which is impressive.
Furthermore, FI’s revenue and EPS for the fiscal year (ending December 2024) are estimated to grow 7.5% and 15.6% year-over-year to $19.39 billion and $8.70, respectively. For the fiscal year 2025, Street expects the company’s revenue and EPS to increase 8.7% and 16% from the previous year to $21.08 billion and $10.09, respectively.
Recent Strategic Partnerships and Product Launches
On May 8, FI announced that WaFd, Inc. (WAFD) selected its CashFlow CentralSM to bolster its small business banking offerings. This move will allow WaFd Bank small business customers to access a full range of capabilities to handle incoming and outgoing payments through their digital banking relationship, streamlining their financial management and saving them time.
CashFlow Central, developed by Fiserv in collaboration with prominent B2B payments-as-a-service platform provider Melio, is a unified digital payment and cash flow management platform. This solution enables small businesses to send electronic invoices, accept payments via ACH transfers or credit cards, digitize supplier invoices, and make payments to billers and suppliers via bank accounts or credit cards.
Also, on April 17, FI launched the Clover Kiosk and an enhanced Clover Kitchen Display System to enable restaurants to streamline operations and improve the customer experience. Designed for seamless integration with each other and additional Clover software and hardware, these solutions facilitate end-to-end order management with up to 40% lower cost of ownership than competitive offerings.
In February, Fiserv partnered with Genesis Bank, one of the two diverse multiracial Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) in the nation, to boost economic empowerment and create an optimistic impact in local communities. Under this collaboration, small businesses, mainly in low-to-moderate income (LMI) communities served by Southern California-based Genesis Bank, will have access to customized technology packages.
These bundles, specifically designed to tackle these businesses’ challenges, offer access to select Clover point-of-sale (POS) technology from Fiserv with no or low entry costs and discounted subscription fees.
Solid Profitability
FI’s trailing-12-month EBITDA margin of 42.20% is 85.2% higher than the 22.80% industry average. Similarly, the stock’s trailing-12-month levered FCF margin of 20.34% is 15.7% higher than the industry average of 17.58%. Its trailing-12-month CAPEX/Sales of 7.56% is significantly higher than the industry average of 1.94%.
Additionally, the stock’s trailing-12-month ROCE and ROTA of 11.01% and 3.50% favorably compared to the industry averages of 10.58% and 1.05%, respectively.
Bottom Line
FI extended its robust revenue growth and margin expansion into 2024, resulting in a 19% year-over-year earnings per share growth during the first quarter. Following an outstanding financial performance, the company raised its adjusted EPS outlook to $8.60-$8.75 for 2024.
Fiserv maintains its resilient business model by enhancing productivity, introducing innovative products and services in areas such as account processing and digital banking, payments, and merchant acquiring and processing, and expanding sales opportunities within its diverse and high-quality client base.
Moreover, FI was named one of Fortune® America’s Most Innovative Companies for the second consecutive year. This designation highlights organizations leading the way in innovation in the U.S. Each pillar, including product innovation, process innovation, and innovation culture, contributed equally to the overall innovation score.
According to Statista, the digital payments market’s total transaction value is expected to reach $3.07 trillion in 2024. Digital Commerce will be the market’s largest segment, with a projected total transaction value of $2.26 trillion this year. Further, the total transaction value is estimated to show a CAGR of 10.7%, resulting in a total of $4.62 trillion by 2028.
The digital payments industry’s promising outlook should bode well for FI.
In addition, analysts are bullish about Fiserv’s growth trajectory. Citigroup analysts raised the price target for FI stock from $171 to $180 while maintaining a Buy rating. Also, TD Cowen adjusted the price target to $175 from $167, reaffirming a Buy rating on the stock. In line, analysts at UBS Group maintained a Buy rating while increasing the price target from $170 to $185.
Several factors, such as solid financial performance, leading position in the fintech industry, and bright growth prospects, have driven a strong level of institutional interest in FI, as reflected by the fact institutions own more than 92% of the stock.
Given this backdrop, it could be wise to invest in this stock for substantial gains.
