Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Short Interest Update

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,390,000 shares, an increase of 7.7% from the December 31st total of 2,220,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 987,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Equifax Trading Up 0.1 %

EFX stock traded up $0.23 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $267.75. 200,269 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 845,211. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $261.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $275.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Equifax has a 1 year low of $213.02 and a 1 year high of $309.63.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on EFX shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $310.41.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,816,186 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,415,284,000 after acquiring an additional 52,489 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Equifax by 37.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,233,744 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $950,268,000 after buying an additional 880,162 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,885,661 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $845,041,000 after purchasing an additional 29,742 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Equifax by 95.9% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,617,574 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $412,239,000 after buying an additional 791,730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 76,913.8% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.