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

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. BNP Paribas raised Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.41.

Equifax Price Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $261.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $275.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. On average, research analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. 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 company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Spire Wealth Management lifted 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, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

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.