Fiserv Reports First Quarter 2023 Results

GAAP revenue growth of 10% and organic revenue growth of 13%;

GAAP EPS decreased 13% and adjusted EPS increased 13%;

Company raises 2023 organic revenue growth outlook to 8% to 9% and adjusted EPS outlook to $7.30 to $7.40

Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of payments and financial services technology solutions, today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2023.

First Quarter 2023 GAAP Results

GAAP revenue for the company increased 10% to $4.55 billion in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the prior year period, with 12% growth in the Acceptance segment, 2% growth in the Fintech segment and 11% growth in the Payments segment.

GAAP earnings per share was $0.89 in the first quarter of 2023, a decrease of 13% compared to the prior year period. The first quarter of 2022 included a $91 million pre-tax net gain related to certain equity investment transactions. GAAP operating margin was 20.5% in both the first quarter of 2023 and 2022. Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.13 billion in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $815 million in the prior year period.

“Our strong first quarter results reflect our leadership position and focused execution in an uncertain economic environment,” said Frank Bisignano, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fiserv. “Our Merchant business continued to outperform, while our Payments and Fintech segments demonstrated the depth of our financial institution client partnerships, as we provided support and innovation through a volatile period.”

First Quarter 2023 Non-GAAP Results and Additional Information

• Adjusted revenue increased 10% to $4.28 billion in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the prior year period.
• Organic revenue growth was 13% in the first quarter of 2023, led by 18% growth in the Acceptance segment, 3% growth in the Fintech segment and 13% growth in the Payments segment.
• Adjusted earnings per share increased 13% to $1.58 in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the prior year period.
• Adjusted operating margin increased 160 basis points to 33.6% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the prior year period.
• Free cash flow was $861 million in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $603 million in the prior year period.
• The company repurchased 13.3 million shares of common stock for $1.5 billion in the first quarter of 2023.
• The company completed a public offering of $1.8 billion of 5-year and 10-year senior notes with a weighted average coupon rate of 5.525%.
• Fiserv was named to Fortune^® America’s Most Innovative Companies and Forbes list of America’s Best Large Employers. 

Outlook for 2023

Fiserv raises full year 2023 outlook and now expects organic revenue growth of 8% to 9% and adjusted earnings per share of $7.30 to $7.40, representing growth of 12% to 14%.

“We raised our 2023 organic revenue and adjusted EPS guidance based on our strong first quarter results. Our guidance for the year is tempered only by the potential for a weaker, second-half economy,” said Bisignano. “We are proud of the recognition we received as a leading innovator and employer in the first quarter, and remain focused on our clients, pursuing operational excellence, and continuing to innovate.”

Earnings Conference Call

The company will discuss its first quarter 2023 results in a live webcast at 7 a.m. CT on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The webcast, along with supplemental financial information, can be accessed on the investor relations section of the Fiserv website at investors.fiserv.com. A replay will be available approximately one hour after the conclusion of the live webcast.

About Fiserv

Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) aspires to move money and information in a way that moves the world. As a global leader in payments and financial technology, the company helps clients achieve best-in-class results through a commitment to innovation and excellence in areas including account processing and digital banking solutions; card issuer processing and network services; payments; e-commerce; merchant acquiring and processing; and the Clover^® cloud-based point-of-sale and business management platform. Fiserv is a member of the S&P 500^® Index and one of Fortune^® World’s Most Admired Companies™. Visit fiserv.com and follow on social media for more information and the latest company news.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this news release, the company supplements its reporting of information determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), such as revenue, operating income, operating margin, net income attributable to Fiserv, diluted earnings per share and net cash provided by operating activities, with “adjusted revenue,” “adjusted revenue growth,” “organic revenue,” “organic revenue growth,” “adjusted operating income,” “adjusted operating margin,” “adjusted net income,” “adjusted earnings per share,” “adjusted earnings per share growth,” and “free cash flow.” Management believes that adjustments for certain non-cash or other items and the exclusion of certain pass-through revenue and expenses should enhance shareholders' ability to evaluate the company’s performance, as such measures provide additional insights into the factors and trends affecting its business. Therefore, the company excludes these items from its GAAP financial measures to calculate these unaudited non-GAAP measures. The corresponding reconciliations of these unaudited non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are included in this news release, except for forward-looking measures where a reconciliation to the corresponding GAAP measures is not available due to the variability, complexity and limited visibility of the non-cash and other items described below that are excluded from the non-GAAP outlook measures. See page 14 for additional information regarding the company’s forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures.

Examples of non-cash or other items may include, but are not limited to, non-cash intangible asset amortization expense associated with acquisitions; non-cash impairment charges; severance costs; net charges associated with debt financing activities; merger and integration costs; gains or losses from the sale of businesses, certain assets or investments; certain discrete tax benefits and expenses; and non-cash deferred revenue adjustments relating to the 2019 acquisition of First Data Corporation. The company excludes these items to more clearly focus on the factors management believes are pertinent to the company’s operations, and management uses this information to make operating decisions, including the allocation of resources to the company’s various businesses.

The company adjusts its non-GAAP results to exclude amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets as such amounts are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are significantly impacted by the timing and/or size of acquisitions. Management believes that the adjustment of acquisition-related intangible asset amortization supplements GAAP information with a measure that can be used to assess the comparability of operating performance. Although the company excludes amortization from acquisition-related intangible assets from its non-GAAP expenses, management believes that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase accounting and contribute to revenue generation.

Management believes organic revenue growth is useful because it presents adjusted revenue growth excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, acquisitions, dispositions and the company’s Output Solutions postage reimbursements and including deferred revenue purchase accounting adjustments. Management believes free cash flow is useful to measure the funds generated in a given period that are available for debt service requirements and strategic capital decisions. Management believes this supplemental information enhances shareholders’ ability to evaluate and understand the company’s core business performance.

These unaudited non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, revenue, operating income, operating margin, net income attributable to Fiserv, diluted earnings per share and net cash provided by operating activities or any other amount determined in accordance with GAAP.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding anticipated organic revenue growth, adjusted earnings per share, adjusted earnings per share growth and other statements regarding our future financial performance. Statements can generally be identified as forward-looking because they include words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “could,” “should,” or words of similar meaning. Statements that describe the company’s future plans, objectives or goals are also forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. The factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially include, among others, the following: the company’s ability to compete effectively against new and existing competitors and to continue to introduce competitive new products and services on a timely, cost-effective basis; changes in customer demand for the company’s products and services; the ability of the company’s technology to keep pace with a rapidly evolving marketplace; the success of the company’s merchant alliances, some of which are not controlled by the company; the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company’s employees, clients, vendors, supply chain, operations and sales; the impact of a security breach or operational failure on the company’s business, including disruptions caused by other participants in the global financial system; losses due to chargebacks, refunds or returns as a result of fraud or the failure of the company’s vendors and merchants to satisfy their obligations; changes in local, regional, national and international economic or political conditions, including those resulting from heightened inflation, rising interest rates, a recession, or intensified international hostilities, and the impact they may have on the company and its customers; the effect of proposed and enacted legislative and regulatory actions affecting the company or the financial services industry as a whole; the company’s ability to comply with government regulations and applicable card association and network rules; the protection and validity of intellectual property rights; the outcome of pending and future litigation and governmental proceedings; the company’s ability to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions, and to realize the anticipated benefits associated with the same; the impact of the company’s strategic initiatives; the company’s ability to attract and retain key personnel; volatility and disruptions in financial markets that may impact the company’s ability to access preferred sources of financing and the terms on which the company is able to obtain financing or increase its costs of borrowing; adverse impacts from currency exchange rates or currency controls; changes in corporate tax and interest rates; and other factors included in “Risk Factors” in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and in other documents that the company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. You should consider these factors carefully in evaluating forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. The company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release.

 Fiserv, Inc.

Full Year Forward-Looking Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Reconciliations of unaudited non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are included in this news release, except for forward-looking measures where a reconciliation to the corresponding GAAP measures is not available due to the variability, complexity and limited visibility of these items that are excluded from the non-GAAP outlook measures. The company’s forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures for 2023, including organic revenue growth, adjusted earnings per share and adjusted earnings per share growth, are designed to enhance shareholders’ ability to evaluate the company’s performance by excluding certain items to focus on factors and trends affecting its business.

Organic Revenue Growth - The company's organic revenue growth outlook for 2023 excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, acquisitions, dispositions and the impact of the company's Output Solutions postage reimbursements. The currency impact is measured as the increase or decrease in the expected adjusted revenue for the period by applying prior period foreign currency exchange rates to present a constant currency comparison to prior periods.

Adjusted Earnings Per Share - The company's adjusted earnings per share outlook for 2023 excludes certain non-cash or other items such as non-cash intangible asset amortization expense associated with acquisitions; non-cash impairment charges; merger and integration costs; severance costs; gains or losses from the sale of businesses, certain assets and investments; and certain discrete tax benefits and expenses. The company estimates that amortization expense in 2023 with respect to acquired intangible assets will decrease approximately 10% compared to the amount incurred in 2022.

Other adjustments to the company’s financial measures that were incurred in 2022 and for the three months ended March 31, 2023 are presented in this news release; however, they are not necessarily indicative of adjustments that may be incurred in the remainder of 2023 or beyond. Estimates of these impacts and adjustments on a forward-looking basis are not available due to the variability, complexity and limited visibility of these items.

Fiserv, Inc.

Full Year Forward-Looking Non-GAAP Financial Measures (cont.)

FISV-E

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