Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The credit services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.06, Briefing.com reports. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.08% and a net margin of 10.42%. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Equifax Stock Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $216.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73. Equifax has a fifty-two week low of $159.95 and a fifty-two week high of $275.10. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $257.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.21. The firm has a market cap of $26.86 billion, a PE ratio of 48.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.51.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Trust purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at about $216,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in Equifax during the 2nd quarter valued at about $212,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $209,000. GSB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth approximately $208,000. Finally, Washington Trust Bank bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter worth approximately $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of Equifax from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Friday, December 29th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Equifax from $208.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Equifax from $275.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Equifax from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Equifax from $300.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $266.35.

Equifax Company Profile

Equifax Inc operates as a data, analytics, and technology company. The company operates through three segments: Workforce Solutions, U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), and International. The Workforce Solutions segment offers services that enables customers to verify income, employment, educational history, criminal justice data, healthcare professional licensure, and sanctions of people in the United States; and employer customers with services that assist them in complying with and automating payroll-related and human resource management processes throughout the entire cycle of the employment relationship.