Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Sets New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $300.00 to $380.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Equifax traded as high as $308.98 and last traded at $308.07, with a volume of 47442 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $306.75.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Equifax from $250.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Equifax from $263.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Equifax from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Four 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $301.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Carla Chaney sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,875 shares in the company, valued at $3,065,118.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth about $144,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 33,894 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,382,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at about $245,000. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 53,338 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $13,190,000 after acquiring an additional 5,617 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $37.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $283.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $258.34.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The credit services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 18.88%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.71 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.74%.

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.