Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Sets New 1-Year High Following Dividend Announcement

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $298.69 and last traded at $297.49, with a volume of 4591 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $298.39.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on EFX. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Equifax from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Equifax from $273.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Equifax from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $292.00.

Equifax Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $37.35 billion, a PE ratio of 67.30, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.56. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $263.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The credit services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.88% and a net margin of 10.67%. Equifax’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other Equifax news, CFO John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 3,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.24, for a total value of $836,726.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 62,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,263,083.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 3,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.24, for a total transaction of $836,726.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 62,219 shares in the company, valued at $14,263,083.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Carla Chaney sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.85, for a total transaction of $845,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,065,118.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Equifax during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 76.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Equifax during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Equifax during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Equifax by 138.2% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is 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.