UPDATE: Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Vantiv at Hold on Valuation and Bearish Sector View

Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vantiv VNTV with a Hold rating. Stifel Nicolaus noted, "Although we are taking a decidedly bearish view of the acquiring industry due to the rapidly rising threat of digital disintermediation, we believe VNTV is less exposed and also best-in-class fundamentally. With significant scale and valuable access to national merchant data, we believe VNTV can weather the storm and potentially become a takeout candidate. With a vulnerable valuation and our belief that the stocks haven't yet properly discounted the rising digital threat, we rate the shares Hold." Vantiv closed at $21.75 on Tuesday.