Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Issues FY 2024 Earnings Guidance

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) issued an update on its FY 2024 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 7.200-7.500 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 7.640. The company issued revenue guidance of $5.7 billion-$5.8 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $5.8 billion. Equifax also updated its FY24 guidance to $7.20-7.50 EPS.

Equifax Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE EFX opened at $216.20 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $257.79 and its 200 day moving average is $231.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm 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. Equifax has a twelve month low of $159.95 and a twelve month high of $275.10.

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

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is currently 34.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on EFX. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Equifax from $208.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Equifax from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Evercore ISI upgraded 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 note on Tuesday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Equifax from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Equifax from $300.00 to $255.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $266.35.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Penserra Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 637 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Equifax by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,188 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. BSW Wealth Partners raised its holdings in Equifax by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,518 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Equifax by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in Equifax by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,041 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.