Fiserv to buy First Data in $22 billion stock deal

(Reuters) - U.S. financial technology provider Fiserv Inc said on Wednesday it will buy payment processor First Data Corp in a $22 billion deal, making it one of the largest acquisitions in the financial technology sector.

The all-stock deal is at a premium of nearly 30 percent over First Data's closing price on Tuesday.

First Data shares rose 17.1 percent to $20.55 in early trading, while Fiserv shares fell 5.4 percent to $71.

Fiserv shareholders will own 57.5 percent of the combined company and First Data shareholders will own 42.5 percent. Fiserv offered 0.303 of its shares for each First Data share.

Fiserv Chief Executive Officer Jeffery Yabuki will become CEO and chairman of the combined company.

After the deal closes in the second half of 2019, the combined company's adjusted earnings per share is expected increase by more than 20 percent in the first full year, the companies said.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC was the financial adviser to Fiserv and BofA Merrill Lynch for First Data.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee and Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr and Arun Koyyur)