Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Hits New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Saturday . The stock traded as low as $209.89 and last traded at $210.30, with a volume of 2944287 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $231.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EFX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas lowered Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wolfe Research lowered Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $294.50.

Equifax Stock Down 4.6 %

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $242.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $258.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65.

Remove Ads

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in Equifax by 1,920.0% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 505.0% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by 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.