Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Given New $295.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $277.00 to $295.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the credit services provider's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' target price points to a potential upside of 15.34% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on EFX. Gordon Haskett raised Equifax to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Equifax in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $305.00 price objective (up from $295.00) on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $294.63.

Equifax Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Equifax stock traded down $0.24 on Wednesday, reaching $255.77. 205,701 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 974,781. The company has a market capitalization of $31.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.63. Equifax has a 52 week low of $199.98 and a 52 week high of $309.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm's 50-day moving average is $257.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.38.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. Equifax had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 18.81%. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 28.0% in the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,295 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 42.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 343 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the first quarter valued at approximately $274,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 55.9% during 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 buying an additional 472,861 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Palogic Value Management L.P. boosted 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 worth $280,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

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.

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