Zelle Expands Network Access to Enhance Real-Time Payments
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 27 2026
0mins
Should l Buy FISV?
Source: PRnewswire
- Network Expansion: In 2025, Zelle successfully expanded its network to reach 80% of U.S. bank and credit union accounts, significantly enhancing real-time payment capabilities for community financial institutions and enabling more users to manage essential payments.
- Partnership Development: By collaborating with Early Warning Services, Zelle has become the largest partner reseller, representing about two-thirds of financial institutions offering the solution, thereby accelerating technology adoption and reducing barriers to entry.
- Meeting User Needs: The majority of Zelle payments are directed towards essential living expenses such as rent and utilities, highlighting its critical role in the daily lives of Americans, particularly in supporting families and small businesses.
- Fintech Leadership: As a global leader in payments and financial technology, Fiserv drives Zelle's market promotion through innovation and excellence, further solidifying its standard-setting position in the digital payments landscape.
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Analyst Views on FISV
Wall Street analysts forecast FISV stock price to rise
28 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
20 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 55.450
Low
62.00
Averages
95.61
High
180.00
Current: 55.450
Low
62.00
Averages
95.61
High
180.00
About FISV
Fiserv, Inc. is a global provider of payments and financial services technology solutions. Its segments include Merchant Solutions (Merchant) and Financial Solutions (Financial). The businesses in its Merchant segment provide commerce-enabling products and services to companies of all sizes around the world. These products and services include merchant acquiring and digital commerce services; mobile payment services; security and fraud protection solutions; stored-value solutions; software-as-a-service; POS devices; and pay-by-bank solutions. The business lines in its Merchant segment consist of small business, enterprise, and processing. The businesses in its Financial segment provide products and services to financial institutions, corporate and public sector clients across the world, enabling the processing of customer loan and deposit accounts, digital payments and card transactions. The business lines in its Financial segment consist of digital payments, issuing, and banking.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
U.S. Small Business Sales Continue Steady Growth
- Small Business Index: In March 2026, the Fiserv Small Business Index rose to 144, indicating a resilient small business economy with a year-over-year sales growth of 1.3%, despite consumers becoming more selective in their spending.
- Transaction Volume vs. Sales: Although transaction volumes decreased by 1.3%, the average ticket size increased by 2.6% year-over-year, allowing small businesses to maintain solid sales growth as they closed out Q1 with a month-over-month sales increase of 0.7%.
- Changing Consumer Patterns: Rising energy prices led to reduced spending in dining and food services, with grocery store sales declining by 1.5% year-over-year, reflecting a heightened budget-consciousness among consumers.
- Retail Sales Acceleration: Retail sales increased by 1.2% month-over-month in March 2026, primarily driven by gasoline sales, with contributions from building materials and motor vehicle parts, indicating a sustained prioritization of essential spending among consumers.
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Bragar Eagel & Squire Investigates Potential Claims Against Fiserv
- Legal Investigation Launched: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is investigating Fiserv, Inc. to determine if the board breached fiduciary duties to shareholders, particularly in light of a class action filed on November 4, 2025.
- Class Action Context: The class action alleges that Fiserv made misleading statements from July to October 2025, leading investors to purchase securities at artificially inflated prices, resulting in significant losses when the truth emerged.
- Guidance Revision: In July 2025, Fiserv revised its performance guidance, claiming it was based on a “re-underwriting” of new initiatives, but later admitted that the assumptions were difficult to achieve, indicating potential governance issues.
- Investor Rights Protection: Bragar Eagel & Squire encourages long-term shareholders to contact their attorneys for more information, emphasizing the importance of protecting investor rights and offering free legal consultations.
See More
Affirm: Stability or Increased Uncertainty on the Horizon?
Company Overview: Affirm Holdings is a key player in the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) sector, reporting significant growth in gross merchandise volume, revenue, and net income in its recent quarterly results.
Financial Performance: The company achieved a gross merchandise volume of $13.8 billion, a 36% increase year-over-year, with revenue climbing 30% to $1.12 billion and net income rising 61% to $130 million.
Market Position and Risks: Despite strong financials, analysts express caution due to potential credit risks and competition from established players like PayPal and Klarna, as well as rising delinquency rates in the credit market.
Investment Outlook: Affirm is seen as a high-risk, high-reward investment, with analysts generally bullish on its growth potential, but investors are advised to be wary of associated risks before investing.
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Raymond James Downgrades Fiserv to Market Perform Amid Growth Concerns
- Rating Downgrade: On Thursday, Raymond James downgraded Fiserv's stock from 'outperform' to 'market perform' without setting a price target, reflecting concerns over the company's significant deceleration in organic growth, which may undermine investor confidence.
- Poor Stock Performance: Fiserv's stock has dropped 17% this year and is set for a third consecutive month in the red, with year-to-date losses nearing 18%, indicating that persistent low retail sentiment is negatively impacting the company's performance.
- Earnings Forecast Misses: In its fourth-quarter report for 2025, Fiserv reported a 21% year-over-year decline in adjusted earnings per share to $1.99, and its 2026 adjusted EPS forecast ranges from $8 to $8.3, falling short of Wall Street's $8.1 estimate, highlighting pressure on future profitability.
- Market Sentiment Shift: Stocktwits sentiment on Fiserv has shifted from 'bullish' to 'bearish' over the past three months, with engagement rising by 33%, reflecting increasing concerns among retail investors about the company's outlook, which could further impact stock price movements.
See More
Raymond James Downgrades Payment Firms Ratings
- Rating Downgrade: Raymond James has downgraded Fiserv, Global Payments, and Shift4 Payments, reflecting a reassessment of overall growth expectations in the payments and fintech sectors, indicating weakened market confidence in these companies.
- P/E Compression: Analysts noted that the average NTM P/E for the payments industry has declined by approximately 45% to around 11x, highlighting an increased market focus on the durability of organic growth and earnings quality.
- Organic Growth Forecast: By 2026, organic revenue growth in the payments sector is expected to be about 55% lower than in 2022, exacerbating the market's recalibration of valuations and reflecting a cautious outlook on future growth.
- Impact of Downgrades: Raymond James lowered its ratings for Fiserv and Global Payments from Outperform to Market Perform, and for Shift4 Payments from Strong Buy to Outperform, which may influence investor confidence and stock performance for these companies.
See More
Baupost Group Increases Stake in Fintech Stock Fiserv Amid Challenges
- Portfolio Adjustment: In Q4 2025, Baupost Group reduced its stake in Alphabet by 41%, although the company remains one of its top ten stocks, reflecting a cautious approach by value investors amid market fluctuations.
- Legal Challenges: Alphabet faces an antitrust lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice, with the judge acknowledging its monopolistic behavior but stopping short of forcing a divestiture of the Chrome browser, highlighting the complexities in the company's legal and market environment.
- Increased Stake in Fintech: Baupost Group increased its stake in fintech company Fiserv by 146%, despite the company missing earnings expectations in Q3 2025, which led to a 44% drop in stock price in a single day, indicating Klarman's belief in its future potential.
- Management Changes: Fiserv's new CEO Mike Lyons is committed to repairing relationships with customers and shareholders, and if successful in regaining investor trust, the stock could see significant upside given its historical price-to-earnings ratios.
See More
U.S. Small Business Sales Continue Steady Growth
- Small Business Index: In March 2026, the Fiserv Small Business Index rose to 144, indicating a resilient small business economy with a year-over-year sales growth of 1.3%, despite consumers becoming more selective in their spending.
- Transaction Volume vs. Sales: Although transaction volumes decreased by 1.3%, the average ticket size increased by 2.6% year-over-year, allowing small businesses to maintain solid sales growth as they closed out Q1 with a month-over-month sales increase of 0.7%.
- Changing Consumer Patterns: Rising energy prices led to reduced spending in dining and food services, with grocery store sales declining by 1.5% year-over-year, reflecting a heightened budget-consciousness among consumers.
- Retail Sales Acceleration: Retail sales increased by 1.2% month-over-month in March 2026, primarily driven by gasoline sales, with contributions from building materials and motor vehicle parts, indicating a sustained prioritization of essential spending among consumers.
See More
Bragar Eagel & Squire Investigates Potential Claims Against Fiserv
- Legal Investigation Launched: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is investigating Fiserv, Inc. to determine if the board breached fiduciary duties to shareholders, particularly in light of a class action filed on November 4, 2025.
- Class Action Context: The class action alleges that Fiserv made misleading statements from July to October 2025, leading investors to purchase securities at artificially inflated prices, resulting in significant losses when the truth emerged.
- Guidance Revision: In July 2025, Fiserv revised its performance guidance, claiming it was based on a “re-underwriting” of new initiatives, but later admitted that the assumptions were difficult to achieve, indicating potential governance issues.
- Investor Rights Protection: Bragar Eagel & Squire encourages long-term shareholders to contact their attorneys for more information, emphasizing the importance of protecting investor rights and offering free legal consultations.
See More
Affirm: Stability or Increased Uncertainty on the Horizon?
Company Overview: Affirm Holdings is a key player in the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) sector, reporting significant growth in gross merchandise volume, revenue, and net income in its recent quarterly results.
Financial Performance: The company achieved a gross merchandise volume of $13.8 billion, a 36% increase year-over-year, with revenue climbing 30% to $1.12 billion and net income rising 61% to $130 million.
Market Position and Risks: Despite strong financials, analysts express caution due to potential credit risks and competition from established players like PayPal and Klarna, as well as rising delinquency rates in the credit market.
Investment Outlook: Affirm is seen as a high-risk, high-reward investment, with analysts generally bullish on its growth potential, but investors are advised to be wary of associated risks before investing.
See More
Raymond James Downgrades Fiserv to Market Perform Amid Growth Concerns
- Rating Downgrade: On Thursday, Raymond James downgraded Fiserv's stock from 'outperform' to 'market perform' without setting a price target, reflecting concerns over the company's significant deceleration in organic growth, which may undermine investor confidence.
- Poor Stock Performance: Fiserv's stock has dropped 17% this year and is set for a third consecutive month in the red, with year-to-date losses nearing 18%, indicating that persistent low retail sentiment is negatively impacting the company's performance.
- Earnings Forecast Misses: In its fourth-quarter report for 2025, Fiserv reported a 21% year-over-year decline in adjusted earnings per share to $1.99, and its 2026 adjusted EPS forecast ranges from $8 to $8.3, falling short of Wall Street's $8.1 estimate, highlighting pressure on future profitability.
- Market Sentiment Shift: Stocktwits sentiment on Fiserv has shifted from 'bullish' to 'bearish' over the past three months, with engagement rising by 33%, reflecting increasing concerns among retail investors about the company's outlook, which could further impact stock price movements.
See More
Raymond James Downgrades Payment Firms Ratings
- Rating Downgrade: Raymond James has downgraded Fiserv, Global Payments, and Shift4 Payments, reflecting a reassessment of overall growth expectations in the payments and fintech sectors, indicating weakened market confidence in these companies.
- P/E Compression: Analysts noted that the average NTM P/E for the payments industry has declined by approximately 45% to around 11x, highlighting an increased market focus on the durability of organic growth and earnings quality.
- Organic Growth Forecast: By 2026, organic revenue growth in the payments sector is expected to be about 55% lower than in 2022, exacerbating the market's recalibration of valuations and reflecting a cautious outlook on future growth.
- Impact of Downgrades: Raymond James lowered its ratings for Fiserv and Global Payments from Outperform to Market Perform, and for Shift4 Payments from Strong Buy to Outperform, which may influence investor confidence and stock performance for these companies.
See More
Baupost Group Increases Stake in Fintech Stock Fiserv Amid Challenges
- Portfolio Adjustment: In Q4 2025, Baupost Group reduced its stake in Alphabet by 41%, although the company remains one of its top ten stocks, reflecting a cautious approach by value investors amid market fluctuations.
- Legal Challenges: Alphabet faces an antitrust lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice, with the judge acknowledging its monopolistic behavior but stopping short of forcing a divestiture of the Chrome browser, highlighting the complexities in the company's legal and market environment.
- Increased Stake in Fintech: Baupost Group increased its stake in fintech company Fiserv by 146%, despite the company missing earnings expectations in Q3 2025, which led to a 44% drop in stock price in a single day, indicating Klarman's belief in its future potential.
- Management Changes: Fiserv's new CEO Mike Lyons is committed to repairing relationships with customers and shareholders, and if successful in regaining investor trust, the stock could see significant upside given its historical price-to-earnings ratios.
See More
