Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $270.23, but opened at $254.83. Equifax shares last traded at $253.80, with a volume of 219,396 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research downgraded Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $300.71.

Equifax Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $261.12 and a 200-day moving average of $274.75. The company has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.30%.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 98.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in Equifax in the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.