Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $289.96, but opened at $278.00. Equifax shares last traded at $275.65, with a volume of 90,842 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on EFX shares. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Equifax from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Equifax from $250.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Equifax from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Equifax from $273.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $307.74.

Equifax Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $34.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $294.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $262.68.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 18.88%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.36 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Carla Chaney sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.85, for a total transaction of $845,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,065,118.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Integrated Advisors Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth approximately $305,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $424,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $917,000. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $378,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 28.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.