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 (EPS) guidance of $1.65-1.75 for the period, compared to the consensus 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

Shares of EFX opened at $217.51 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $258.45 and its 200-day moving average is $230.95. 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 company has a market capitalization of $27.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.51. Equifax has a fifty-two week low of $159.95 and a fifty-two week high of $275.10.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The credit services provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.06. Equifax had a net margin of 10.42% and a return on equity of 19.33%. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. Equifax’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on EFX. TheStreet raised Equifax from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a report on Friday, December 29th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Equifax from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a report on Thursday. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Equifax from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $272.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Equifax from $273.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $267.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 91.4% in the 1st 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 grew its stake in shares of Equifax by 59.0% during 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 period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at about $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.