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

Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $298.56.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on EFX shares. Argus lowered shares of Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Gordon Haskett raised Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Greenleaf Trust grew its position in shares of Equifax by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,702 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in Equifax by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its position in Equifax by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 817 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,595 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $406,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Equifax by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE:EFX opened at $240.37 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Equifax has a 12-month low of $213.02 and a 12-month high of $309.63. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $251.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $263.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. Equities research analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.30%.

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.