Brokerages Set Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Price Target at $310.41

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $301.13.

Several equities analysts have commented on EFX shares. 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 report on Wednesday, January 15th. BNP Paribas raised Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays cut their price objective on Equifax from $335.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th.

Equifax Stock Performance

NYSE EFX opened at $251.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $31.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.97, a P/E/G 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. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $260.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.38. Equifax has a fifty-two week low of $213.02 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. Sell-side analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 32.30%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In other news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of Equifax 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,781.83. The trade was a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its position in shares of Equifax by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 136,569 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $34,790,000 after buying an additional 5,571 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in shares of Equifax by 90.4% in the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 105,940 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,999,000 after buying an additional 50,305 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,836,000. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Equifax by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,201 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,071,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its position in Equifax by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.