Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Price Target Cut to $316.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its target price lowered by Morgan Stanley from $320.00 to $316.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

EFX has been the topic of several other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $360.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.88.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of EFX stock opened at $273.84 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $259.83 and its 200 day moving average is $274.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.85, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.57. Equifax has a 12 month low of $213.02 and a 12 month high of $309.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in Equifax by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,702 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 4.2% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 13.5% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 371 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 3.7% during the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Equifax by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,202 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $561,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.