Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Given New $279.00 Price Target at Oppenheimer

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its target price cut by Oppenheimer from $286.00 to $279.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on EFX. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $300.71.

Equifax Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $248.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.24, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.58. Equifax has a twelve month low of $213.02 and a twelve month high of $309.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $261.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $274.75.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. Equities research analysts forecast that Equifax will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.67%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the third quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

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.