Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Cut to “Peer Perform” at Wolfe Research

Wolfe Research cut shares of Equifax (NYSE:EFX) from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report published on Thursday, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on EFX. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group began coverage on Equifax in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $360.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Monday, October 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $311.67.

Equifax Stock Performance

EFX stock opened at $265.81 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Equifax has a twelve month low of $213.02 and a twelve month high of $309.63. The business’s fifty day moving average is $267.78 and its 200-day moving average is $270.01. The company has a market cap of $32.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.57.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Equifax will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.67%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This trade represents a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total transaction of $15,770,648.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 109,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,532,909.67. This trade represents a 34.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock worth $16,187,044. Insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Equifax by 76.1% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in Equifax by 138.2% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Equifax by 271.4% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 156 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.