Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Upgraded at BNP Paribas

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) was upgraded by investment analysts at BNP Paribas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $305.00 price objective on the credit services provider’s stock. BNP Paribas’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 11.46% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on EFX. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research lowered Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $360.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $311.39.

Equifax Price Performance

EFX stock opened at $273.65 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company’s 50-day moving average is $267.36 and its 200-day moving average is $270.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.92 billion, a PE ratio of 60.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.57. Equifax has a 1 year low of $213.02 and a 1 year high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total transaction of $15,770,648.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,532,909.67. This represents a 34.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $16,187,044. Company insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Equifax by 76.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Equifax by 138.2% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.