Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Short Interest Update

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,290,000 shares, a growth of 19.2% from the March 15th total of 2,760,000 shares. Approximately 2.7% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,130,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days.

Equifax Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE EFX traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $256.41. 364,691 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 963,080. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.75. Equifax has a one year low of $199.98 and a one year high of $309.63. The company's 50-day moving average is $236.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $254.14. The company has a market capitalization of $32.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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, analysts forecast that Equifax will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This is an increase from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on EFX shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Equifax to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Equifax in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price target on the stock. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

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.