Brokerages Set Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) PT at $292.31

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $292.00.

Several research analysts have weighed in on EFX shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on Equifax in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Equifax from $313.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Equifax Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of EFX stock traded down $0.11 on Wednesday, reaching $256.37. The company had a trading volume of 690,904 shares, compared to its average volume of 964,329. The stock has a market cap of $31.84 billion, a PE ratio of 53.08, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $236.60 and a 200-day moving average of $253.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Equifax has a 12 month low of $199.98 and a 12 month high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, equities analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is 40.90%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 1,920.0% in the fourth 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 during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 505.0% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. 96.20% of the stock is 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.