filings.toolsItem 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
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Item 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Equifax’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “EFX.” As of January 31, 2018, Equifax had approximately 2,206 holders of record; however, Equifax believes the number of beneficial owners of common stock exceeds this number.
The table below sets forth the high and low sales prices per share of Equifax common stock, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange, for each quarter in the last two fiscal years and dividends declared per share:
| High Sales Price | Low Sales Price | Dividends (1) | |||||||||
| 2017 | |||||||||||
| First Quarter | $ | 137.76 | $ | 116.31 | $ | 0.39 | |||||
| Second Quarter | $ | 144.00 | $ | 131.62 | $ | 0.39 | |||||
| Third Quarter | $ | 147.02 | $ | 89.59 | $ | 0.39 | |||||
| Fourth Quarter | $ | 120.77 | $ | 105.31 | $ | 0.39 | |||||
| 2016 | |||||||||||
| First Quarter | $ | 114.67 | $ | 91.72 | $ | 0.33 | |||||
| Second Quarter | $ | 128.41 | $ | 113.09 | $ | 0.33 | |||||
| Third Quarter | $ | 136.97 | $ | 127.85 | $ | 0.33 | |||||
| Fourth Quarter | $ | 134.56 | $ | 110.87 | $ | 0.33 |
| (1) | Equifax’s Senior Credit Facilities, as defined in Note 5 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-K, restricts our ability to pay cash dividends on our capital stock or repurchase capital stock if a default exists or would result according to the terms of the credit agreement. |
We anticipate continuing the payment of quarterly cash dividends. The actual amount of such dividends is subject to declaration by our Board of Directors and will depend upon future earnings, results of operations, capital requirements, our financial condition and other relevant factors. There can be no assurance that the Company will continue to pay quarterly cash dividends at current levels or at all.
Shareholder Return Performance Graph
The graph below compares Equifax’s five-year cumulative total shareholder return with that of the Standard & Poor’s Composite Stock Index (S&P 500) and a peer group index, the S&P 500 Banks Index (Industry Group). The graph assumes that the value of the investment in our Common Stock and each index was $100 on the last trading day of 2012 and that all quarterly dividends were reinvested without commissions. Our past performance may not be indicative of future performance.
COMPARATIVE FIVE-YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN AMONG EQUIFAX INC., S&P 500 INDEX, AND S&P 500 BANKS INDEX (INDUSTRY GROUP)
| Fiscal Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
| Initial | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Equifax Inc. | 100.00 | 129.52 | 153.68 | 214.06 | 226.90 | 228.22 | |||||||||||
| S&P 500 Index | 100.00 | 132.39 | 150.51 | 152.59 | 169.24 | 205.24 | |||||||||||
| S&P 500 Banks Index (Industry Group) | 100.00 | 132.25 | 149.79 | 148.23 | 178.13 | 214.75 |
The table below contains information with respect to purchases made by or on behalf of Equifax of its common stock during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2017:
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
| Period | Total Number of Shares Purchased (1) | Average Price Paid Per Share (2) | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly-Announced Plans or Programs | Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs (3) | ||||||||||
| October 1 - October 31, 2017 | 48,395 | $ | — | — | $ | 590,092,166 | ||||||||
| November 1 - November 30, 2017 | 450 | $ | — | — | $ | 590,092,166 | ||||||||
| December 1 - December 31, 2017 | 958 | $ | — | — | $ | 590,092,166 | ||||||||
| Total | 49,803 | $ | — | — | $ | 590,092,166 |
| (1) | The total number of shares purchased includes: (a) shares purchased pursuant to our publicly-announced share repurchase program, or Program; and (b) shares surrendered, or deemed surrendered, in satisfaction of the exercise price and/or to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the exercise of employee stock options and vesting of restricted stock, totaling 48,395 shares for the month of October 2017, 450 shares for the month of November 2017 and 958 shares for the month of December 2017. |
| (2) | Average price paid per share for shares purchased as part of our Program (includes brokerage commissions). |
| (3) | Under the Program, we repurchased 0.5 million common shares during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 for $77.1 million. At December 31, 2017, the amount authorized for future share repurchases under the Program was $590.1 million. |
Information relating to compensation plans under which the Company’s equity securities are authorized for issuance is included in the section captioned “Equity Compensation Plan Information” in our 2018 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
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