Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by Argus

Argus cut shares of Equifax (NYSE:EFX) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $301.13.

Equifax Stock Performance

Equifax stock opened at $251.01 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $260.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $274.38. The company has a market cap of $31.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 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 has a fifty-two week low of $213.02 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.45 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is 32.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

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.