Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Updates Q2 Earnings Guidance

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) issued an update on its second quarter earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $1.65-1.75 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $1.87. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.41-1.43 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.44 billion. Equifax also updated its FY 2024 guidance to 7.200-7.500 EPS.

Equifax Price Performance

Equifax stock opened at $237.68 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $259.14 and its 200 day moving average is $231.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $29.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.51. Equifax has a one year low of $159.95 and a one year high of $275.10.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 17th. The credit services provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 10.36%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.53 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EFX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI upgraded Equifax from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $210.00 to $310.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Equifax from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $272.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Bank of America upgraded Equifax from an underperform rating to a buy rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Equifax from $208.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Equifax currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $267.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the second quarter worth $29,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Equifax by 91.4% in the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Equifax by 59.0% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 337 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter worth $94,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

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.