Tuesday, Total System Services, Inc. (TSS) reported a lower profit for the third quarter, as revenues slid 1.6% from last year, impacted by lower revenues from the company's electronic payment processing services. However, the company reaffirmed its full-year guidance.
Total System's net income attributable to the company for the third quarter was $55.03 million or $0.28 per share, down from $64.07 million or $0.32 per share in the year-ago quarter. The recent quarter included a net loss of $2.93 million or $0.01 per share related to the company's discontinued operations, TSYS Total Debt Management.
The Columbus, Georgia-based company's quarterly revenues decreased by 1.6% to $432.30 million from $439.45 million in the prior-year quarter. On a non-GAAP basis, total revenues in constant currency would have been $442.63 million, up 0.7% from last year, the company said.
On average, seventeen analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to earn $0.29 per share, on revenues of $409.86 million for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude one-time items.
In the preceding second quarter, the company's net income had declined to $53.4 million or $0.27 per share from $63.1 million or $0.32 per share in the year-ago period. Quarterly revenues declined to $412.0 million from $429.6 million for the same period last year.
For the quarter under review, revenues for electronic payment processing services declined 6.3% to $238.45 million from $254.56 million for the prior year period. Revenues for merchant acquiring services increased by 11.3% to $71.83 million from $64.57 million a year earlier, while other service revenues declined by 9.1% to $48.68 million from $53.58 million for the year-ago period.
Total revenues for North American services decreased 8.2% to $261.58 million from $284.93 million and international service revenues came down by 2.2% to $86.17 million from $88.09 million in the year-ago quarter. Merchant services' revenue increased 25.8% year-over-year to $93.83 million from $74.61 million last year.
On a geographical basis, U.S. revenues decreased 2.7% to $304.9 million from $313.4 million, and Europe revenues declined 8.6% to $70.4 million from $77.0 million last year. Revenues for Canada increased 14.7% to $36.5 million from $31.8 million and revenues for Japan surged 60% to $11.5 million from $7.2 million last year.
On a constant currency basis, International Services segment's total revenues grew 9.6% as compared to a reported GAAP decline of 2.2%.
Total operating expenses for the quarter rose modestly by 0.1% to $344.44 million, reflecting a 9.9% rise in reimbursable items to $73.33 million from $66.74 million for the same quarter last year.
For the nine month period, the company's net income attributable to the shareholders declined to $155.00 million or $0.79 per share from $183.77 million or $0.93 per share in the prior year. Total revenues for the nine-month period declined by 2.8% to $1.25 billion from $1.29 billion last year.
Amongst others in the industry, Fiserv, Inc. (FISV), today, reported an increase in second-quarter net income to $140 million or $0.90 per share from $100 million or $0.60 per share a year-ago. Quarterly revenues of the company declined to $1.03 billion from $1.29 billion in the prior-year quarter and adjusted revenues declined to $983 million from $1.02 billion in the prior year, primarily due to declines in the home equity loan processing business.
Yet another competitor, Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) reported a decline in second-quarter profit hurt by lower revenues. The company's net income attributable to common stockholders declined to $59.6 million or $0.31 per share from $72.8 million or $0.37 per share last year. However, on a non-GAAP basis, net earnings rose to $0.42 per share from $0.34 per share in the prior year. Revenues decreased by 4% year-over-year to $834.8 million.
Looking ahead to the full year 2009, Total System reaffirmed its guidance for net income in the range of $217 million - $221 million, representing a decline of 13% to 11%, on total revenues of $1.637 billion - $1.665 billion, representing a decline of 5% to 3%.
TSS closed Tuesday's regular trading on the NYSE at $16.55, up $0.08 or 0.49% on volumes of 1.54 million shares. In the past 52-week period, the stock traded in the range of $10.36 - $16.92, with an average 3-month volume of 1.18 million shares.
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