Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $298.56.

A number of brokerages have commented on EFX. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Argus cut shares of Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of EFX stock opened at $240.37 on Friday. Equifax has a 52 week low of $213.02 and a 52 week high of $309.63. The company has a market capitalization of $29.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.77, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $251.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $263.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 1,920.0% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 505.0% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.