Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Price

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price objective increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $277.00 to $295.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on EFX. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective (up previously from $295.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective (down previously from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.63.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $253.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $257.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $253.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. Equifax has a 1-year low of $199.98 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.84, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 18.81%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. This is an increase from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.90%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total value of $518,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,176 shares in the company, valued at $16,887,101.60. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.61, for a total transaction of $5,686,477.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 142,395 shares in the company, valued at $36,539,980.95. This represents a 13.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 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 buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. 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 buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.