NEW YORK: A data breach at Target Corp that exposed the credit card information of tens of millions of holiday shoppers was a major black eye for the retailer. In its wake, investors and analysts are circling companies that could benefit from a major upgrade in credit card technology.
One of their favorites: Verifone Systems Inc, a $3.2 billion market cap company that is one of two major global manufacturers of point-of-sale terminals and mobile payments systems and could profit from any major upgrades of payment technology. Analysts at JPMorgan Chase and Jefferies & Co upgraded their outlook for the company in the last 10 days, helping send its shares price up about 25 percent since the Target breach was first reported on Dec. 18.