Equifax (NYSE:EFX) PT Raised to $305.00

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price objective boosted by Stifel Nicolaus from $265.00 to $305.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

EFX has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wolfe Research began coverage on Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued an outperform rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Equifax from $246.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Equifax from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Equifax from $255.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Equifax from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $283.19.

Equifax Stock Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $269.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $243.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $247.23. Equifax has a 1 year low of $159.95 and a 1 year high of $276.69. The company has a market capitalization of $33.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.56.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The credit services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.09. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.88% and a net margin of 10.67%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.71 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equifax news, Director Karen L. Fichuk bought 415 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $238.77 per share, for a total transaction of $99,089.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,305 shares in the company, valued at $789,134.85. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Karen L. Fichuk acquired 415 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $238.77 per share, for a total transaction of $99,089.55. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $789,134.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rodolfo O. Ploder sold 14,097 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.45, for a total value of $3,178,168.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,126,083.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 83,635 shares of company stock worth $18,969,282 over the last ninety days. 1.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EFX. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $248,000. Apeiron RIA LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $210,000. CX Institutional boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. CX Institutional now owns 4,651 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,150,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,240,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,956 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,193,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.