Argus Downgrades Equifax (NYSE:EFX) to Hold

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) was downgraded by investment analysts at Argus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the company. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. 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 note on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $301.69.

Equifax Stock Performance

EFX stock opened at $254.54 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $260.67 and its 200-day moving average is $274.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $31.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. Equifax has a twelve month low of $213.02 and a twelve month high of $309.63.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management grew 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. 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.