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

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The credit services provider reported $1.50 EPS 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Equifax Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:EFX opened at $216.20 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization 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. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $257.79 and its 200 day moving average is $231.21. Equifax has a 12 month low of $159.95 and a 12 month high of $275.10.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on EFX. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Equifax from $275.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Equifax from $276.00 to $241.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $272.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Equifax from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Equifax from $208.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.35.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. American Trust bought a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at $216,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the second quarter worth $212,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth $209,000. GSB Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Washington Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the first quarter worth $203,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

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.