BNP Paribas Upgrades Equifax (NYSE:EFX) to “Neutral”

BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Equifax (NYSE:EFX) from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a report published on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. BNP Paribas currently has $310.00 price objective on the credit services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Equifax from $273.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Equifax to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Equifax from $255.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Equifax from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Equifax from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $302.06.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $299.09 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $36.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $287.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.26. Equifax has a one year low of $159.95 and a one year high of $309.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The credit services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.09. Equifax had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 18.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.74%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP Carla Chaney sold 3,000 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.85, for a total transaction of $845,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,065,118.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 76.1% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the second quarter worth $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Equifax in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 76 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.