Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.06, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 10.36%. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $237.68 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $259.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Equifax has a twelve month low of $159.95 and a twelve month high of $275.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.02, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.51.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 35.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on EFX shares. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Equifax from $273.00 to $291.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Evercore ISI raised Equifax from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $210.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Redburn Atlantic lowered Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $272.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Equifax from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $267.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Equifax in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Equifax by 91.4% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Equifax by 59.0% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 337 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $94,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Equifax

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.