Stifel Nicolaus Has Lowered Expectations for Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Price

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its target price lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $284.00 to $281.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $300.71.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $248.59 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $261.12 and a 200-day moving average of $274.75. 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 has a 1-year low of $213.02 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The company has a market cap of $30.81 billion, a PE ratio of 55.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.58.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its 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 net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Equifax will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.63%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.67%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, 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 is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 2.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 184,890 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,329,000 after acquiring an additional 5,097 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 3.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,397 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,880,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 84.1% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,016,000 after acquiring an additional 3,135 shares during the last quarter. NS Partners Ltd grew its position in Equifax by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. NS Partners Ltd now owns 95,010 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $27,920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,094 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 3rd quarter valued at about $786,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.