Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) saw a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,390,000 shares, a growth of 7.7% from the December 31st total of 2,220,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 987,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of EFX stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $267.72. The stock had a trading volume of 113,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 842,824. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.18 billion, a PE ratio of 59.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.58. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $261.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $275.08. Equifax has a twelve month low of $213.02 and a twelve month 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.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 0.58%. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 34.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Equifax in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in Equifax by 98.7% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax in the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on EFX shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two 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 stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.41.

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.