Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Sets New 1-Year High at $307.54

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $307.54 and last traded at $306.81, with a volume of 112505 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $303.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on EFX shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Equifax from $255.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Equifax from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Equifax from $263.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $292.00.

Equifax Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $37.53 billion, a PE ratio of 67.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $266.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $254.36.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The credit services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.88% and a net margin of 10.67%. Equifax’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.71 EPS. Analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.74%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP Carla Chaney sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.85, for a total value of $845,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,065,118.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Equifax news, CFO John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 3,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.24, for a total transaction of $836,726.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 62,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,263,083.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Carla Chaney sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.85, for a total transaction of $845,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,065,118.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. CWM LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 49.3% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Steele Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $343,000. Concord Wealth Partners increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 793 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 19,281 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,768,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $251,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.