Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $292.31.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $260.00 price target (down previously from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Argus cut Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Equifax in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Equifax Stock Up 14.1 %

EFX stock opened at $245.74 on Wednesday. Equifax has a fifty-two week low of $199.98 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.88, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The business's fifty day moving average price is $235.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $254.35.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted 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. bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 505.0% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the first quarter worth about $34,000. 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.

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