Needham & Company LLC Reiterates Buy Rating for Equifax (NYSE:EFX)

Equifax (NYSE:EFX)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $350.00 price target on the credit services provider’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s target price points to a potential upside of 30.37% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on EFX. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Equifax in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Equifax from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Equifax from $255.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.47.

Equifax Stock Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $268.47 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $33.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.79, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $291.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $263.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Equifax has a 1-year low of $159.95 and a 1-year high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total value of $15,770,648.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 109,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total value of $15,770,648.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 109,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at $3,075,535.48. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 62,304 shares of company stock worth $16,889,119. Insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Equifax during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 76.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 138.2% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, First Community Trust NA acquired a new position in Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 96.20% of the stock is 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.