Equifax said it had record profit in the fourth quarter and for 2015, bucking an earnings downdraft late in 2015 that has sent many companies’ stocks into decline so far this year.
The Atlanta credit reporting company said its fourth-quarter profit rose 14 percent compared to a year earlier, to $113 million.
Net income for 2015 rose more than 16 percent, to $435 million, compared to the previous year.
Equifax attributed its higher profit to growth by double-digit percentages in revenue at most of its units. Company-wide revenue increased 9.3 percent for the year, to almost $2.7 billion, compared to 2014.
Last year “was an outstanding year for Equifax. Our strong performance continued throughout the fourth quarter, with broad-based contribution from each of the business units. We are well positioned for 2016 and beyond,” said Equifax CEO Richard F. Smith.
Most companies, however, reported lower fourth-quarter results.
Among the S&P 500 companies that have reported financial results so far, fourth-quarter earnings were down 3.8 percent compared to a year ago, according to FactSet, a market data tracking firm in Norwalk, Conn. About two-thirds of the companies in the S&P 500 index have reported fourth-quarter results.
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