Fiserv Inc.’s FISV first-quarter 2015 adjusted earnings of 89 cents per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 86 cents and increased 9% from 82 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. The improvement was driven by internal revenue growth in the Payments segment coupled with higher sales across the company.
Revenues
Revenues increased 3.3% year over year to $1,275 million but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,287 million.
Adjusted revenues (including the impact of Output Solutions postage reimbursements and Open Solutions deferred revenue adjustment) grew 4% year over year to $1.19 billion.
Internal revenues rose 4% driven by growth in Payments and Financial segments. Foreign currency negatively impacted internal revenue growth by approximately 40 basis points (bps) in the quarter.
Source-wise, Product revenues increased 0.5% year over year to $208 million. Processing and services revenues increased 3.9% to $ 1,067 million on a year-over-year basis.
Segment-wise, Payments and Industry Products adjusted revenues increased to $613 million, up 3.9% year over year. Financial Institution Services revenues increased to $594 million, up 3.1% year over year.
Margins
Adjusted operating income increased to $314 million from $271 million in the year-ago quarter. Fiserv’s first-quarter adjusted operating margin of 31.1% increased 150 bps on a year-over-year basis.
Total expenses amounted to $961 million, down 0.2% year over year. Operating ratio stood at 75.4% year over year, down 260 bps.
Other Financial Details
As of Mar 31, 2015, Fiserv had cash and cash equivalents of $296 million compared with $307 million a year ago. Fiserv’s cash from operating activities in the first quarter was $346 million, an increase from $292 million in the year-ago quarter. The company’s free cash flow came in at $268 million, up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis.
Long-term debt was $3.76 billion, up from $3.71 billion at 2014-end. On Apr 30, Fiserv extended the maturity of its $2.0 billion revolving credit facility to Apr 2020.
Fiserv repurchased 3.8 million shares for $290 million in the first quarter. As of Mar 31, 2015, the company had 16.0 million shares remaining under its repurchase authorization.
Guidance
For 2015, Fiserv reaffirmed its guidance. It expects adjusted internal revenues to increase in the range of 5% to 6%. Adjusted earnings per share are expected within $3.73 to $3.83, representing 11% to 14% growth over the 2014 level.
Our Take
Fiserv has expanded its foothold in the financial and payment solutions business supported by its broad customer base and various contract wins from Citizens Bank, U.S. Bank and Swift.
In Dec 2014, the company extended its partnership with a leading integrated risk and finance solutions provider, Primatics Financial. The alliance was extended to provide financial institutions with advanced stress testing solutions in support of macroeconomic and regulatory stress testing. Also, Fiserv has extended its WireXchange service to Western Union Co. WU to enhance the latter’s offerings. Such initiatives are likely to benefit the company, going forward.
However, tightening regulations in the banking and financial services industry is expected to remain a concern in 2015. We also believe that intensifying competition from the likes of Global Payments GPN and MasterCard Inc. MA remains a major headwind.
Currently, Fiserv has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Be the first to comment