Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $311.81.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on EFX shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $325.00 to $321.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $315.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total transaction of $272,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at $3,075,535.48. The trade was a 8.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,781.83. The trade was a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock worth $16,187,044. 1.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the third quarter worth $48,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Equifax during the 3rd quarter valued at $73,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc bought a new stake in Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth $85,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Price Performance

EFX stock opened at $243.97 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $259.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $272.86. Equifax has a 12 month low of $213.02 and a 12 month high of $309.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $30.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.57.

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. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.76 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.67%.

About Equifax

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.