Argus Downgrades Equifax (NYSE:EFX) to Hold

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) was downgraded by equities researchers at Argus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Finviz reports.

EFX has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $301.69.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $253.47 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $261.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $274.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.48, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Equifax has a twelve month low of $213.02 and a twelve month high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in Equifax by 98.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Equifax in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. 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.