Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Upgraded at Gordon Haskett

Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Equifax (NYSE:EFX) to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on EFX. BNP Paribas raised Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Argus downgraded Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays lowered their price target on Equifax from $335.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $301.13.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of EFX stock opened at $240.79 on Tuesday. Equifax has a 1-year low of $213.02 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $258.66 and its 200 day moving average is $273.21. The company has a market cap of $29.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.85, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. Research analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s payout ratio is 32.30%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Equifax during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Equifax by 178.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 435 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 3.7% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,397 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,880,000 after buying an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 154.5% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $222,000 after acquiring an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 34.8% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,454 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.