GAAP revenue growth of 9% both in the quarter and for the full year; GAAP EPS increased 146% in the quarter and 96% for the full year; Organic revenue growth of 12% in the quarter and 11% for the full year; Adjusted EPS increased 22% in the quarter and 16% for the full year; Company expects 2023 organic revenue growth of 7% to 9% and adjusted EPS of $7.25 to $7.40, or growth of 12% to 14%

Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of payments and financial services technology solutions, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2022.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 GAAP Results

GAAP revenue for the company increased 9% to $4.63 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the prior year period, with 9% growth in the Acceptance segment, 7% growth in the Fintech segment and 8% growth in the Payments segment. GAAP revenue for the company increased 9% to $17.74 billion for the full year 2022 compared to the prior year, with 13% growth in the Acceptance segment, 5% growth in the Fintech segment and 7% growth in the Payments segment. GAAP revenue for the fourth quarter and full year 2022 was unfavorably impacted by foreign currency fluctuations.

GAAP earnings per share was $1.23 in the fourth quarter and $3.91 for the full year 2022, an increase of 146% and 96%, respectively, compared to the prior year periods. The fourth quarter and full year 2022 included lower merger and integration costs compared to the prior year periods. GAAP operating margin was 25.5% and 21.1% in the fourth quarter and full year 2022, respectively, compared to 12.5% and 14.1% in the fourth quarter and full year 2021, respectively. Net cash provided by operating activities was $4.62 billion for the full year 2022 compared to $4.03 billion in the prior year.

“Fiserv posted a second consecutive year of double-digit organic revenue growth, outpacing expectations and demonstrating market leadership in a challenging environment,” said Frank Bisignano, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fiserv. “Our ability to drive strong growth and margin improvement in a shifting economy is a testament to our commitment to clients, cost discipline and dedicated workforce.”

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Non-GAAP Results and Additional Information

• Adjusted revenue increased 8% to $4.36 billion in the fourth quarter and 9% to $16.77 billion for the full year 2022 compared to the prior year periods.
• Organic revenue growth was 12% in the fourth quarter of 2022, led by 16% growth in the Acceptance segment, 8% growth in the Fintech segment and 10% growth in the Payments segment.
• Organic revenue growth was 11% for the full year 2022, led by 17% growth in the Acceptance segment, 5% growth in the Fintech segment and 9% growth in the Payments segment.
• Adjusted earnings per share increased 22% to $1.91 in the fourth quarter and 16% to $6.49 for the full year 2022 compared to the prior year periods.
• Adjusted operating margin increased 360 basis points to 39.2% in the fourth quarter and 120 basis points to 35.1% for the full year 2022 compared to the prior year periods.
• Free cash flow was $3.52 billion for the full year 2022 compared to $3.53 billion in the prior year.
• The company repurchased 7.6 million shares of common stock for $750 million in the fourth quarter and 25.4 million shares of common stock for $2.5 billion in the full year 2022.
• In December 2022, the company acquired Merchant One, Inc., an independent sales organization focused on acquiring merchants in the restaurant, retail and e-commerce industries using an innovative mix of direct and digital marketing strategies.
• In February 2023, Fiserv was named one of Fortune^® World’s Most Admired Companies^™, a recognition received by the company for 12 of the past 15 years. 

Outlook for 2023

Fiserv expects organic revenue growth of 7% to 9% and adjusted earnings per share of $7.25 to $7.40, representing growth of 12% to 14%, for 2023.

“Heading into an uncertain 2023, we remain confident in our role as a strategic provider and partner in the banking and payments ecosystem. We look forward to continuing to deliver market-leading products and services with quality, reliability and value,” said Bisignano. “Recent client wins, high recurring revenue and our focus on productivity position us well for our 38^th consecutive year of double-digit adjusted earnings per share growth.”

Earnings Conference Call

The company will discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2022 results in a live webcast at 7 a.m. CT on Tuesday, February 7, 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, 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 15 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; restructuring costs; 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 arising from acquisitions. 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, 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, 2021, 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.