Analysts Set Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Price Target at $311.81

Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $311.12.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equifax from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $275.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Equifax from $325.00 to $321.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th.

Equifax Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE EFX opened at $262.87 on Monday. Equifax has a 52-week low of $213.02 and a 52-week high of $309.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $258.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.57. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 34.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total transaction of $15,770,648.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,183 shares in the company, valued at $29,532,909.67. The trade was a 34.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $16,187,044. Company insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EFX. Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in Equifax by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in shares of Equifax by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 39,048 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,952,000 after acquiring an additional 2,069 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Equifax by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,537 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $646,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $368,000. Finally, Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,112 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $793,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

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.