Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Reaches New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Saturday . The stock traded as low as $209.89 and last traded at $210.30, with a volume of 2944287 shares. The stock had previously closed at $231.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EFX. UBS Group cut their price target on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.50.

Equifax Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market cap of $26.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.54, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $248.10 and its 200-day moving average is $261.59.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.30%.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 15.4% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 583 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,583 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,226,000 after purchasing an additional 2,948 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its holdings in Equifax by 3,372.2% during the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 46,527 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,857,000 after purchasing an additional 45,187 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,964,000. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,595 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $406,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 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.