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

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $311.18.

Several analysts have recently commented on EFX shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, October 18th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group started coverage on Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $360.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th.

Equifax Price Performance

EFX opened at $256.83 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.83 billion, a PE ratio of 57.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The business’s 50-day moving average is $266.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $270.79. Equifax has a 1 year low of $213.02 and a 1 year high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. Equifax’s payout ratio is presently 34.67%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This represents a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $16,187,044 in the last 90 days. 1.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Equifax by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,816,186 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,415,284,000 after buying an additional 52,489 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Equifax by 4.9% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,276,798 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,036,952,000 after purchasing an additional 200,665 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 37.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,233,744 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $950,268,000 after purchasing an additional 880,162 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,044,561 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $738,184,000 after purchasing an additional 70,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,885,661 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $845,041,000 after buying an additional 29,742 shares in the last quarter. 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.