UBS Group Cuts Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Price Target to $310.00

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price objective cut by UBS Group from $335.00 to $310.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on EFX. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. BNP Paribas upgraded Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $301.69.

Equifax Price Performance

EFX stock opened at $248.59 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $261.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.92. Equifax has a 52-week low of $213.02 and a 52-week high of $309.63. The company has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a PE ratio of 51.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. Analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.30%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. The trade was a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EFX. 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 worth $7,407,000 after buying an additional 1,651 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the third quarter valued at approximately $231,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Equifax by 6.5% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in Equifax by 6.9% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 2,578 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, LVW Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,644 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,071,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.