FIserv Inc.

Sales winners in the third quarter include Netflix, Autodesk and PayPal Plenty of companies have produced double-digit sales increases and wider profit margins during an otherwise dismal earnings seasonPlenty of companies have produced double-digit sales increases and wider margins during an otherwise dismal earnings season.

The earnings recession looks destined to continue as Disney and the rookies take stage Earnings Watch: Peloton and Uber will join health-care companies, videogame publishers and a whole lot of internet stocksWhile the departure of October means the quarter is only one-third complete, the quarterly earnings season has already entered the home stretch, and appears certain to lose yet again.

How the frugality of U.S. corporations saved third-quarter results from the abyss Roughly 70% of S&P 500 companies have reported third-quarter earningsThird-quarter earnings season still appears that earnings-per-share, or EPS, for America’s largest public companies will decline year-over-year during the three-month period, reported results are coming in much better than feared.

Global Payments is feeling more upbeat about synergies gained from TSYS deal Global Payments beats earnings and revenue expectationsGlobal Payments Inc. shares are rising in Thursday trading after the company topped earnings expectations and gave a more view of the synergies that could result from its Total System Services (TSYS) deal.

With profits slipping, where should you put your money? Earnings may be in a recession, but does that favor growth or value stocks?Corporate earnings are expected to drop, so what should small investors do about it?

Visa stock the biggest drag on the Dow, as payments sector suffers broad declineShares of Visa Inc. swung into negative territory Monday, to pull back sharply from a record high, and to be the biggest drag on the Dow Jones Industrial Average . The stock was up as much as 0.7% at an intraday high of $187.05, which would have put it on track for a third-straight record close, but pulled a U-turn to be down $5.94, or 3.2% at $179.80 in afternoon trading. The price decline shaves about 40 points off the Dow's price, which was up 16 points. Shares of some of Visa's payments peers also fell, with shares of Mastercard Inc. down 3.5%, Square Inc. shedding 3.2% and PayPal Holdings Inc. losing 4.5%. Elsewhere, American Express Co.'s stock slipped 0.4% and Fiserv Inc. shares shed 2.2%.

Global Payments beats on earnings as CEO cheers TSYS deal opportunities Chief Executive Jeff Sloan says combined company will have better exposure to fast-growth markets than Fiserv, FISGlobal Payments Inc. reported better-than-expected second-quarter profit numbers on Tuesday, while slightly raising its earnings forecast for the full year.

Fiserv leads payments stocks higher after suggesting mega-merger targets are conservative Fiserv’s Friday rally has shorts staring down $400 million in paper losses for the dayFiserv Inc. shares continued their rally on Friday, after the financial-technology company suggested that its synergy targets for its pending deal with First Data Corp. could be conservative.

Southwest takes drastic action to address 737 Max issues and stock is rewarded Earnings Watch: Alphabet and Amazon lurk on deck as antitrust interest heats upAir carriers have spent the past two weeks giving updates on the continued Boeing 737 Max groundings, and Southwest Airlines Co. just announced the most drastic plan so far.

First Data deal has turned Fiserv into a big short play Financial-services company now ranks above Visa with more than $5 billion in short interestOnce-sleepy Fiserv Inc. has become the top short play among payments and data-processing companies in the months since it announced an all-stock deal for First Data Corp.

The S&P 500 just hit a record high — so did these stocks These 54 components of the S&P 500 rose to record levels tooThese 54 components of the S&P 500 rose to record levels too.

Total System Services stock rises after Bloomberg reports of merger talks with Global PaymentsShares of Total System Services Inc. are up more than 6% in premarket trading Friday after Bloomberg reported that the company with Global Payments Inc. about a potential merger. The companies also discussed potential joint ventures and other ways they could work together without merger, according to Bloomberg, which cites an anonymous source. Total System Services and Global Payments didn't immediately respond to MarketWatch's request for comment. "It seems like the race is on for creating the third two-sided network platform, servicing both [financial institutions] and merchants," wrote Wedbush analyst Moshe Katri. "TSS remains one of the least expensive names in the space." Payments peers Fidelity National Information Services Inc. and Worldpay Inc. announced plans to combine back in March, while Fiserv Inc. and First Data Corp. announced their own merger plans in January. Piper Jaffray analyst Jason Deleeuw wrote that he expects any merger between Total System Services and Global Payments to be a cash and stock deal, "like the other two processing mega-mergers announced this year." Total System Services shares have gained 23% so far this year, as the S&P 500 has risen 13%.

Here are 5 payment-system deals that could follow an already big wave of M&A MoffettNathanson outlines potential fintech tie-ups in the wake of Fiserv’s deal for First Data and FIS’s deal for WorldpayThe consolidation trend in financial technology hasn’t let up in recent months, and one analyst expects more big deals to follow.

Global Payments CEO says earnings highlight ‘competitive moat’ of tech offerings CEO Jeff Sloan sees potential in high-growth regions like Mexico following new partnershipGlobal Payments Inc. shares are up nearly 4% in midday trading Wednesday, after the financial-technology company beat expectations on the bottom line and increased its buyback program.

Twitter will remain a big spender, Expedia may address its Liberty ownership ‘saga’ Earnings Watch: Hanesbrands and Hain Celestial among the biggest movers, Mattel due to report after the bellThe big story today is Twitter Inc., which reported better-than-expected financials but spooked investors with its talk of the future.

Here are the most and least volatile stocks among the S&P 500 Those with lower volatility have a stronger tendency to outperform the market over longer time periodsPerformance of stocks showing high volatility this year is mixed, but for long periods those with lower volatility have had a stronger tendency to outperform the market.

Fiserv stock upgraded to outperform at Wolfe Research on optimism for First Data dealWolfe Research analyst Darrin Peller upgraded Fiserv Inc. shares to outperform from peer perform on Thursday, a day after the company announced its intent to combine with First Data Corp. in . He called the merger "strategically sound" and sees numerous opportunities for the combined company, including the ability for Fiserv to refer First Data's merchant-acquiring services to the banks it currently works with. Peller is also upbeat about the deal from a financial standpoint. "We see the outlined $900 million cost synergies as potentially conservative and see upside from areas such as platform rationalization, which has not yet been included in synergies," he wrote. "We also see material upside potential from interest expense savings given refinancing FDC's debt at investment-grade was not factored into targets." Fiserv shares dropped 3.3% in Wednesday trading and are off 0.2% in premarket trading on Thursday. First Data shares gained 21% on Wednesday and are down 0.5% in premarket trading Thursday. Fiserv's stock has dropped 8.2% over the past three months, while the S&P 500 has fallen 6.9%.

Stocks close higher as strong bank earnings underpin blue-chip gains Beige Book shows waning optimism in some districtsU.S. stocks close higher Wednesday as investors cheered mostly positive earnings from financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs Group and Bank of America Corp.

This $22 billion deal could be just the beginning Analysts see merger of First Data and Fiserv as a potential kickoff of consolidation in fintech, as companies try to touch more aspects of the payments processFinancial technology companies Fiserv Inc. and First Data Corp. plan to combine in a $22 billion all-stock deal, which analysts say may spur a wave of industry consolidation.

Fiserv to acquire First Data in all-stock deal with equity value of $22 billion Fiserv Inc. said Wednesday it has reached an agreement to acquire First Data Corp. in an all-stock deal with an equity value of $22 billion that will create a company will a strong footing in payment systems and fintech. Fiserv will pay 0.303 Fiserv shares for each First Data share owned, equal to $22.74, or a 29% premium over the five-day volume weighted average price as of Jan. 15. Fiserv shareholders will own 57.5% of the combined entity, while First Data shareholders will own the remaining 42.5%. The deal is expected to boost adjusted per-share earnings by more than 20% in the first full year after close. It is expected to generate at least $500 million of revenue synergies over a five-year period and to create $900 million of run-rate cost synergy savings, mostly due to the elimination of corporate structures. The deal is expected to close in the first half. The combination "will offer leading technology capabilities that enable a range of payments and financial services, including account processing and digital banking solutions; card issuer processing and network services; e-commerce; integrated payments; and the Clover(TM) cloud-based point-of-sale solution," the companies said in a statement. Fiserv shares fell about 8% premarket on the news, while First Data shares soared 16.9%. S&P 500 futures were up 0.1%.

Fiserv expects First Data deal to generate at least $500 mln of revenue synergies over 5 years