Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $293.75.

Several research firms have commented on EFX. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $305.00 price objective (up from $295.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday. BNP Paribas cut Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Equifax from $288.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Equifax in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Equifax to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE EFX traded down $2.83 on Thursday, hitting $268.67. The company had a trading volume of 609,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 974,800. The company has a market capitalization of $33.37 billion, a PE ratio of 55.63, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.63. The company's fifty day moving average price is $252.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $253.36. 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 12-month low of $199.98 and a 12-month high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. As a group, analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is 40.90%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total value of $518,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,176 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,887,101.60. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.61, for a total value of $5,686,477.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 142,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $36,539,980.95. This trade represents a 13.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 28.0% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,295 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 42.3% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 343 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the 1st quarter worth approximately $274,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Equifax by 55.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,318,914 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $321,235,000 after purchasing an additional 472,861 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palogic Value Management L.P. increased its holdings in Equifax by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 1,149 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.