Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.09, Briefing.com reports. Equifax had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 19.12%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.71 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Equifax Stock Up 0.7 %

EFX stock traded up $1.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $266.17. 179,204 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 819,728. The company has a market cap of $32.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.56. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $242.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $246.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Equifax has a 52 week low of $159.95 and a 52 week high of $276.69.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on EFX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Equifax from $246.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of Equifax from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Equifax from $272.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Equifax from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP Carla Chaney sold 5,178 shares of the business’s 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 owns 16,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,029,028.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Karen L. Fichuk purchased 415 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $238.77 per share, with a total value of $99,089.55. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $789,134.85. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Carla Chaney sold 5,178 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was 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 directly owns 16,884 shares in the company, valued at $4,029,028.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 83,635 shares of company stock worth $18,969,282. 1.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.