Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Price Target Cut to $286.00 by Analysts at Oppenheimer

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price target decreased by Oppenheimer from $315.00 to $286.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Oppenheimer currently has an outperform rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on EFX. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research report on Monday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $360.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Equifax from $263.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $306.74.

Equifax Price Performance

Equifax stock opened at $252.92 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $31.35 billion, a PE ratio of 56.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.59. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $278.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $267.58. Equifax has a one year low of $208.67 and a one year high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. Equifax’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.67%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. This trade represents a 34.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. The trade was a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 76,913.8% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 960,362 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $282,212,000 after acquiring an additional 959,115 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Equifax by 37.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,233,744 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $950,268,000 after purchasing an additional 880,162 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Equifax by 72.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,514,093 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $405,051,000 after buying an additional 633,887 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 2.5% in the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,045,398 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,757,425,000 after buying an additional 342,170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 4.9% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,276,798 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,036,952,000 after buying an additional 200,665 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.