Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Raised to “Outperform” at BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Equifax (NYSE:EFX) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note published on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $305.00 target price on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group started coverage on Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $360.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Equifax from $315.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $311.18.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of EFX opened at $256.83 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $266.81 and its 200 day moving average is $270.79. Equifax has a 12-month low of $213.02 and a 12-month high of $309.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $31.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.57.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.67%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. The trade was a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This represents a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock worth $16,187,044 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 76.1% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the second quarter worth $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 138.2% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Equifax during the second quarter worth about $37,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.