JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Price Target to $283.00

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its target price decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $304.00 to $283.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Equifax in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $360.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Barclays raised their target price on Equifax from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $307.84.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EFX opened at $245.03 on Tuesday. Equifax has a 1-year low of $204.16 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $280.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $267.82. The company has a market capitalization of $30.37 billion, a PE ratio of 54.45, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.59.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. Equifax’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 34.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. The trade was a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total value of $15,770,648.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. This represents a 34.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 76.1% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 138.2% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is 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.