Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Shares Gap Down - Here's Why

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $267.45, but opened at $258.53. Equifax shares last traded at $255.46, with a volume of 205,567 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EFX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas lowered Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Equifax from $288.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Equifax in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $293.75.

Equifax Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $31.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.22, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $256.49 and a 200 day moving average of $253.36.

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

Equifax Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. This is a positive change from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.61, for a total transaction of $5,686,477.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 142,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,539,980.95. The trade was a 13.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the 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 now directly 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. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its position in shares of Equifax by 505.0% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Equifax in the first quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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