Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Price

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $288.00 to $306.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the credit services provider's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target would suggest a potential upside of 16.81% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. BNP Paribas lowered Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, March 14th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Argus downgraded Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $293.38.

Equifax Trading Down 5.4%

Equifax stock traded down $15.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $261.96. The stock had a trading volume of 539,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 967,947. Equifax has a twelve month low of $199.98 and a twelve month high of $309.63. 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 market cap of $32.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.22, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.68. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $244.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $252.80.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.41 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. Equities analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total transaction of $518,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 65,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,887,101.60. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were 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 owns 142,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $36,539,980.95. The trade was a 13.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Equifax by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,843 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,775,000 after acquiring an additional 3,043 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 2.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 184,890 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $54,329,000 after buying an additional 5,097 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,585 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $404,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $3,572,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Equifax by 95.9% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,617,574 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $412,239,000 after acquiring an additional 791,730 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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