Equifax jumps after earnings beat, new $3 bln stock buyback

Shares of credit reporting agency Equifax EFX.N up 11.2% to $239.40 and among best S&P 500 .SPX performers early Tues after qtrly earnings topped Wall Street estimates and it unveiled new stock buyback

EFX shares hit three-week high and on course for biggest daily pct gain since Nov 10, 2022

Atlanta, Georgia-based co posted Q1 adj EPS of $1.53, beating Street consensus by 13 cents, while rev rose ~4% y/y to $1.44 bln, roughly inline with analysts' expectations

U.S. mortgage inquiries fell 9% in the qtr from a year ago, better than co's anticipation of a 13% decline

Co also announced new $3 bln share repurchase program and bumped its qtrly cash dividend by 28% to $0.50/sh

For 2025, it maintained its forecast of $5.91-$6.03 bln in rev and $7.25-$7.65 in adj EPS

Of 22 analysts covering EFX, recommendation breakdown is 16 "strong buy" or "buy" and 6 "hold"; median PT is $280.50 - LSEG data

With move on the session, shares down ~6% YTD vs SPX decline of ~11%