Fiserv earnings miss triggers 44% stock plunge: Argentina slowdown deepens hit; leadership shake-up adds to market jitters

Fintech major Fiserv Inc saw its shares crash 44% on Wednesday, heading for their worst day ever after the company cut its full-year earnings guidance and announced a sweeping leadership overhaul, CNBC reported.“Our current performance is not where we want it to be nor where our stakeholders expect it to be,” Fiserv CEO Mike Lyons said in a statement accompanying the results.The company now expects adjusted earnings of $8.50–8.60 per share for the year, sharply lower than its earlier forecast of $10.15–10.30. Revenue growth has also been trimmed to 3.5–4%, down from the previous estimate of 10%.Lyons told investors that Argentina’s worsening economic environment was a key drag on growth and margins. “Last year, Argentina contributed 10 percentage points to our 16% organic growth rate,” he said, adding that the company’s original forecast had assumed stronger growth from other markets to offset the slowdown.Fiserv’s adjusted earnings per share came in at $2.04, missing LSEG’s estimate of $2.64, while revenue rose 1% year-on-year to $4.92 billion, below the expected $5.36 billion. However, net income increased to $792 million from $564 million a year ago.Alongside the disappointing results, Fiserv unveiled major leadership changes. Starting December, COO Takis Georgakopoulos will become co-president alongside Dhivya Suryadevara, former CEO of Optum Financial Services. Paul Todd has been promoted to chief financial officer.“We also have opportunities in front of us to improve our results and execution, and I am confident that these are the right leaders to help guide Fiserv to long-term success,” Lyons said in a separate statement.Fiserv also said that Gordon Nixon, Céline Dufétel, and Gary Shedlin will join its board of directors in early 2026, with Nixon serving as independent chairman and Shedlin chairing the audit committee.The Milwaukee-based fintech has announced an action plan aimed at improving execution and driving “sustainable, high-quality growth.” The company will also move its stock listing from the NYSE to the Nasdaq next month, where it will trade under the ticker FISV, CNBC reported.