Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Updates Q2 2024 Earnings Guidance

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) issued an update on its second quarter 2024 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.650-1.750 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.870. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.4 billion-$1.4 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.4 billion. Equifax also updated its FY 2024 guidance to 7.200-7.500 EPS.

Equifax Trading Down 0.6 %

EFX opened at $216.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.86 billion, a PE ratio of 48.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $257.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Equifax has a 12-month low of $159.95 and a 12-month high of $275.10.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The credit services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.42% and a return on equity of 19.08%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 34.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on EFX shares. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $300.00 to $255.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Equifax from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $272.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Equifax from $208.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $276.00 to $241.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Equifax from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and upped their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $266.35.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $216,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the second quarter worth approximately $212,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $209,000. GSB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $208,000. Finally, Washington Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the first quarter worth approximately $203,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.