Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Trading 5.3% Higher Following Earnings Beat

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s stock price was up 5.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $273.56 and last traded at $272.98. Approximately 127,494 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 814,981 shares. The stock had previously closed at $259.25.

The credit services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.42% and a return on equity of 19.08%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.71 EPS.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on Equifax from $255.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Equifax from $291.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Equifax from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $272.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equifax news, EVP Carla Chaney sold 5,178 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $1,235,626.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,884 shares in the company, valued at $4,029,028.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,300 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.45, for a total transaction of $13,143,735.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,623,649. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Carla Chaney sold 5,178 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $1,235,626.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,029,028.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 83,635 shares of company stock worth $18,969,282. Insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 2.5% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,045,398 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,757,425,000 after buying an additional 342,170 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Equifax by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,033,448 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,754,228,000 after acquiring an additional 137,961 shares during the period. Generation Investment Management LLP grew its position in Equifax by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 3,856,248 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $953,612,000 after acquiring an additional 298,846 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC increased its stake in Equifax by 1,740.8% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 2,085,879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $515,817,000 after purchasing an additional 1,972,564 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Equifax by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,572,846 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $388,949,000 after purchasing an additional 206,037 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equifax Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $33.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $241.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $246.62.

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.