Barclays Cuts Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Price Target to $325.00

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price objective decreased by Barclays from $335.00 to $325.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on EFX. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $301.69.

Equifax Stock Performance

NYSE EFX opened at $248.59 on Friday. Equifax has a fifty-two week low of $213.02 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $261.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Equifax during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its position in Equifax by 98.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax during the third quarter valued at about $48,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.