Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.08 EPS

Equifax (NYSE:EFX – Get Rating) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.08, MarketWatch Earnings reports. Equifax had a return on equity of 26.95% and a net margin of 15.11%. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.97 EPS. Equifax’s revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

EFX traded up $2.98 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $221.41. 1,322,310 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,092,351. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $225.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $253.82. Equifax has a 52-week low of $191.70 and a 52-week high of $300.11.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 22nd were given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 18th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.87%.

In other Equifax news, insider Sid Singh sold 19,222 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.93, for a total transaction of $4,150,606.46. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Allstate Corp increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 681.4% in the 4th quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 10,642 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,116,000 after purchasing an additional 9,280 shares in the last quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department now owns 28,841 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,445,000 after purchasing an additional 8,278 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 237,169 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $69,429,000 after purchasing an additional 7,254 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 19,782 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,472,000 after purchasing an additional 4,820 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC now owns 400,122 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $117,152,000 after purchasing an additional 4,210 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.48% of the company’s stock.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on EFX shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Equifax in a report on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, March 29th. They set a “hold” rating and a $265.00 price objective on the stock. TheStreet cut Equifax from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird raised Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $281.00 in a research report on Monday, January 24th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Equifax in a research report on Friday, March 11th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.42.

Equifax Company Profile (Get Rating)

Equifax Inc provides information solutions and human resources business process automation outsourcing services for businesses, governments, and consumers. The company operates through three segments: Workforce Solutions, U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), and International. The Workforce Solutions segment offers employment, income, criminal history, and social security number verification services, as well as payroll-based transaction, employment tax management, and identity theft protection products.

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