A select group of US financial technology, payment processors and specialty finance companies reported mixed earnings during the first quarter.

Of the 30 companies that reported first-quarter earnings, 17 posted a sequential increase in diluted earnings per share, while only 12 companies reported a year-over-year rise in their earnings, according to an S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis.

Meanwhile, 11 companies reported a quarter-over-quarter decline in their earnings during the quarter, while two posted unchanged diluted EPS.

Top gainers

Fidelity National Information Services Inc. and Bread Financial Holdings Inc. were the only companies with double-digit sequential growth in their diluted EPS in the first quarter.

Fidelity National Information Services had the steepest quarter-over-quarter increase in its earnings with the company's diluted EPS surging by $29.52 to 24 cents. The Jacksonville, Fla.-based payment processor also posted a 4-cent rise year over year.

– Download a template to compare a bank's financials to industry aggregate totals. – Download a template for a comprehensive profile on a selected bank or thrift. – View US industry data for commercial banks, savings banks and savings and loan associations.

The company's performance during the quarter was a result of a "combination of both stronger operating performance" along with better-than-expected macroeconomic impacts, which included consumer spending and higher deposit account levels and transaction growth across the financial services sector, CFO Erik Hoag said during a first-quarter earnings call.

"Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS exceeded expectations through both operational strength and the benefit in net interest expense," Hoag said.

Bread Financial's EPS surged sequentially by $11.76 to $9.08 in the first quarter, while the Columbus, Ohio-based digital lender had the largest year-over-year increase in the analysis as it grew $4.88 from the corresponding quarter of 2022.

Most fintechs post better earnings

Of the 13 fintech companies in the analysis, eight fintechs reported a quarter-over-quarter increase in their diluted EPS, while that of SoFi Technologies Inc. and Enova International Inc. remained unchanged.

SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc., LendingClub Corp. and Fiserv Inc. posted sequential and annual declines in their earnings during the first quarter.

Mixed earnings at payment processors

Payment processors that reported their first-quarter earnings showed mixed results in quarterly and yearly comparisons.

Four of the seven payment processing companies in the analysis posted a sequential decline in their diluted EPS during the quarter, while three reported an increase during the quarter.

Visa Inc. and Fidelity National Information Services were the only ones to post a sequential and annual increase in their earnings in the first quarter.

Most specialty finance had a good quarter

The majority of the specialty lenders in the analysis posted quarter-over-quarter growth in their earnings, but only three were able to manage a year-over-year increase in the first quarter.

Of the 10 specialty finance companies, six posted a sequential rise in their diluted EPS. Only Medallion Financial Corp., Sallie Mae and FirstCash Holdings Inc. managed to post an increase in their earnings from the year-ago period, although FirstCash's diluted EPS was down from the fourth quarter of 2022.