Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $270.23, but opened at $254.83. Equifax shares last traded at $253.80, with a volume of 219,396 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EFX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research cut Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Equifax from $315.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $310.41.

Equifax Trading Down 6.7 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $31.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.98, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $261.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $275.09.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. Analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is 34.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Equifax by 66.4% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,993 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $483,000 after acquiring an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Equifax by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 25,206 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,407,000 after buying an additional 1,651 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Equifax by 43.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,684 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $789,000 after buying an additional 813 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co bought a new stake in Equifax in the third quarter worth about $231,000. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Equifax by 5.4% during the third quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,422 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $712,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 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.