Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Upgraded by Gordon Haskett to Strong-Buy Rating

Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Equifax (NYSE:EFX) to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on EFX. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Equifax presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $301.13.

Equifax Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $243.15 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.34, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Equifax has a 12-month low of $213.02 and a 12-month high of $309.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $259.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.44.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced 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 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, analysts forecast that Equifax will post 7.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Equifax by 1,920.0% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its holdings in Equifax by 505.0% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 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.