Feb 17 (Reuters) - Activist investor Jana Partners has built a less than 1% stake in payments company Fiserv, buying 2.2 million shares, according to a ‌filing on Tuesday. Jana is pressing the company to pursue steps to lift its ‌lagging share price, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Whether the ​activist investor intends to seek board seats at Fiserv could not be determined, the report said. Jana's 13-F filing compares the firm’s holdings as o ...

Group 1 - Activist investor Jana Partners has acquired a stake in Fiserv and is urging the company to take actions to improve its declining share price [1] - Fiserv's shares increased by 6.5% in premarket trading following the news [1] - The company's stock has experienced a significant decline, dropping over 67% in 2025 [1]

Exclusive: Activist investor Jana Partners has built a stake in Fiserv and is pushing for changes to boost the payments company’s underperforming stock https://t.co/XNBbRnuzNA ...

The hedge fund has been speaking to the company and supports CEO Mike Lyons. ...

Group 1 - ACI Worldwide announced the deployment of ACI Connetic, a unified cloud-native platform for UK banks, enabling integration of SWIFT, CHAPS, and Faster Payments [1] - The platform aims to reduce operational complexity and enhance resilience, allowing banks to modernize and innovate in response to regulatory changes and customer expectations [1] - ACI Connetic is designed for institutions of all sizes, providing a modular architecture that streamlines integration and accelerates implementation timelines [1] Group 2 - ACI Worldwide will report its financial results for Q4 and full year 2025 on February 26, 2026, with a conference call scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Eastern time [2] - The company's annual Global Ecommerce Report indicated that global retail refund volumes surged by 18.1% in 2025, with a 12.7% increase in refund value year-on-year [2] - ACI Worldwide's predictions highlight that most global payments leaders are unprepared for significant disruptions expected in 2026, driven by AI, new regulatory frameworks, and demand for secure payments [2]

Core Insights - PayPal Holdings, Inc. is under investigation for potential violations of federal securities laws following a significant earnings miss and subsequent stock price decline [1][5]. Analyst Expectations and Company Communications - On January 28, 2026, Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded PayPal's price target from $70 to $50, which was followed by Morgan Stanley's similar reduction to $50 on January 29, citing slower checkout growth [2]. - Analysts had anticipated mid-single-digit revenue growth and higher earnings per share just before the earnings announcement on February 2, 2026 [2]. Earnings Results and Guidance - Actual results disclosed on February 3, 2026, showed revenue of $8.68 billion, falling short by $120 million (approximately 1.4%) from the $8.80 billion estimate [3]. - Adjusted earnings per share of $1.23 missed the consensus range of $1.30 to $1.33 by 5.4% to 7.5% [3]. - The company's forward guidance indicated a decline in 2026 transaction margin dollars and an adjusted earnings per share range projecting a low single-digit decline to a slight positive gain, significantly below market expectations [3]. Management Communication - During the third quarter 2025 earnings call on October 28, 2025, management did not indicate any forthcoming dramatic revisions to the company's outlook, raising questions about the information available to them prior to the earnings miss [4]. Stock Performance - Following the earnings announcement on February 3, 2026, PayPal shares dropped 19-20%, reaching approximately $42 and establishing a new 52-week low, with a reported increase in short interest as traders anticipated further declines [5].

Core Viewpoint - The UK is accelerating plans to create an alternative payment system to Visa and Mastercard due to concerns over potential disruptions from the US payments network under President Trump [1][4][5]. Group 1: Industry Response - Major UK banks, including Barclays, Natwest, Lloyds, Santander, and Nationwide, are collaborating to develop a new payment platform to handle the 50 billion payments made annually in the UK [2][6]. - The initiative is chaired by Vim Maru, head of Barclays UK, and aims to reduce reliance on US financial infrastructure [2][6]. Group 2: Economic Implications - The new payment system is intended to maintain economic stability in the event of US interference in the payments network, which could revert the UK to a cash-based economy reminiscent of the 1950s [3][4]. - Concerns have been raised about the potential weaponization of the payments system by the US, as evidenced by Trump's previous threats of tariffs against the UK and EU [5][6]. Group 3: Regulatory Framework - The UK Treasury had previously announced plans for a "next generation of UK retail payments infrastructure," with the Bank of England establishing a taskforce to oversee its development [6]. - The industry trade body, UK Finance, is coordinating the plans for the new payment system, referred to as DeliveryCo [6].

Company Overview - Shift4 Payments operates as a technology-driven payments provider with over 4,000 employees and a diversified merchant base [5] - The company offers integrated payment processing, omni-channel card acceptance, POS solutions, eCommerce platforms, fraud prevention, and business analytics tools [8] - Shift4 Payments focuses on delivering secure, seamless payment experiences across physical and digital channels, leveraging proprietary software and integrated solutions [5][8] Financial Performance - As of February 12, 2026, Shift4 Payments shares were trading at $54.57, reflecting a decline of 54.6% over the past year and underperforming the S&P 500 by 66 percentage points [3] - The company's market capitalization is $4.90 billion, with a trailing twelve months (TTM) revenue of $3.88 billion and a net income of $194.80 million [4] Recent Transactions - The University of Illinois Foundation increased its holding in Shift4 Payments by 67,000 shares during the fourth quarter of 2025, with an estimated transaction value of $4.73 million [1] - This purchase raised the fund's stake in Shift4 Payments to 3.95% of its 13F reportable assets under management (AUM) [2] - The foundation's recent buying activity suggests a strategy of capitalizing on the stock's current lower valuation, as it continues to trade approximately 56% below its 52-week high [9]

Core Insights - Klarna Group plc (KLAR) is expected to report fourth-quarter 2025 results on February 19, 2026, with a consensus estimate of a loss of 3 cents per share and revenues of $1.07 billion [1] Financial Performance Expectations - The fourth-quarter earnings estimate has seen one upward revision in the past month, indicating a sequential improvement of 88%, while revenues are expected to grow by 18.5% from the previous quarter [2] - For the full year 2025, Klarna's revenue is estimated at $3.51 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 24.9%, with a consensus EPS estimate of a loss of 48 cents, a significant decline from the previous year's earnings of 1 cent per share [3] Earnings Prediction and Model Insights - The current model does not predict an earnings beat for Klarna, with an Earnings ESP of -20.65% and a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [4] Factors Influencing Q4 Results - Klarna anticipates Q4 revenues of $1.07 billion and gross merchandise volume (GMV) between $37.5 billion and $38.5 billion, with expected transaction margin dollars of $390 million to $400 million [7] - The company's growth is supported by increasing transaction and service revenues, rising interest income, and new partnerships contributing to global expansion [8] - GMV growth momentum is expected to continue, with new signups for the Klarna Card acting as a tailwind [9] Operational Efficiency and Challenges - AI-driven productivity and cost discipline are expected to enhance operational efficiency, although provisions for credit losses are likely to have increased due to upfront provisions related to Fair Financing portfolio growth [10] Peer Performance Comparison - Affirm Holdings reported a second-quarter fiscal 2026 EPS of 37 cents, beating estimates by 32.1% and showing a 60.9% year-over-year increase, with net revenues of $1.1 billion, a 30% year-over-year jump [11] - American Express reported fourth-quarter 2025 EPS of $3.53, slightly missing estimates but showing a 16% year-over-year increase, with total revenues of $19 billion, a 10% year-over-year improvement [12]

Group 1 - Mastercard Inc is considered one of the best long-term stocks to buy on the NYSE [1] - Truist Financial launched its first open banking integration with Mastercard's open finance platform, allowing secure connections of financial data to fintech apps [1][3] - Truist reported $548 billion in assets at the end of 2025, emphasizing customer control and trust in digital experiences [3] Group 2 - Daiwa Securities upgraded Mastercard from Neutral to Outperform with a price target of $610, citing positive factors for the stock [3][4] - The renewal of Mastercard's credit card agreement with Capital One reassures investors about the company's outlook [4] - Stablecoin payments are viewed as potential earnings opportunities for Mastercard rather than a threat [4] Group 3 - Potential credit card regulations by the Trump administration are expected to be relaxed, which could benefit Mastercard [5] - Mastercard announced the launch of an AI agent suite for enterprises, aligning with the rapid growth of AI tools in the financial services sector [5] - The market for AI tools in financial services is projected to reach $97 billion by 2027 [5] Group 4 - Mastercard is a global payments processor with solutions that include credit card, debit card, and cyber services [6] - The company aims to make payment transactions simple, safe, and accessible [6] - Mastercard has been in business since 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York [6]