Citigroup Has Lowered Expectations for Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Price

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) had its price target lowered by Citigroup from $294.00 to $290.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the credit services provider's stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Equifax from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group set a $278.00 target price on shares of Equifax and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $305.00 price target (up from $295.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $285.00.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $246.99. 541,925 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,050,952. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $261.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $253.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.60. Equifax has a 52 week low of $199.98 and a 52 week high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The credit services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.08. Equifax had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equifax news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total value of $518,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 65,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,887,101.60. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 142,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $36,539,980.95. The trade was a 13.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 12.0% during the 1st quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,212 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in Equifax by 1,464.7% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 18,119 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,413,000 after acquiring an additional 16,961 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 1st quarter worth approximately $209,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Equifax by 19.9% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,611 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in Equifax by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,817 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $973,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Company Profile

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.