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

Shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $271.1429.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Equifax to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $245.00 to $234.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Equifax from $285.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 21,386 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.12, for a total value of $4,942,732.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,045 shares in the company, valued at $5,095,040.40. This trade represents a 49.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 4,925 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.94, for a total transaction of $1,176,779.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,405,634.16. The trade was a 11.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 54,270 shares of company stock worth $12,580,837 in the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 49.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the first quarter worth approximately $204,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $615,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new position in Equifax during the 2nd quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Equifax by 61.8% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 343 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $213.81 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $215.21 and its 200 day moving average is $232.42. Equifax has a 12 month low of $199.98 and a 12 month high of $281.07. The company has a market capitalization of $26.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 11.08%.The company’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Equifax will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 37.95%.

About Equifax

Equifax Inc (NYSE: EFX) is a global data, analytics and technology company that specializes in consumer and commercial credit reporting, decisioning tools and identity solutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax is one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States and provides credit information and related services to lenders, employers, governments and consumers worldwide.

The company’s offerings include consumer credit reports and scores, credit monitoring and identity protection services, and a range of business-oriented products for risk management, fraud detection and compliance.