Analysts Set Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) PT at $310.41

Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $301.69.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on EFX shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Equifax Trading Up 2.1 %

EFX traded up $5.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $253.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,003,616 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,044,889. Equifax has a twelve month low of $213.02 and a twelve month high of $309.63. The stock has a market cap of $31.42 billion, a PE ratio of 52.48, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $261.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. On average, analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EFX. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Equifax by 76,913.8% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 960,362 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $282,212,000 after acquiring an additional 959,115 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 37.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,233,744 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $950,268,000 after purchasing an additional 880,162 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 95.9% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,617,574 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $412,239,000 after purchasing an additional 791,730 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $113,896,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Equifax by 34.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 863,718 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $251,480,000 after purchasing an additional 220,109 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.