Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Receives $298.56 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $298.56.

Several brokerages have commented on EFX. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Argus cut Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,702 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $434,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 817 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,595 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Equifax by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $247.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $30.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. Equifax has a 52-week low of $213.02 and a 52-week high of $309.63. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $250.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $262.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

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.