Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Stock Has Average Target Price of $200.00 According to Analysts

Shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $200.55.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on EFX. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $235.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Equifax from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Equifax from $230.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on Equifax from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Argus upgraded Equifax from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $175.26 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $166.92 and its 200-day moving average is $178.06. Equifax has a 12 month low of $137.01 and a 12 month high of $228.67.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The credit services provider reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.04 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Equifax will post 8.50 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP John Gamble sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total transaction of $845,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,979,577.80. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,792 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.80, for a total value of $6,908,377.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 289,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,997,741.60. This trade represents a 11.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Equifax during the second quarter worth $1,491,357,000. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Equifax by 310.5% in the first quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,184,569 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $753,515,000 after acquiring an additional 3,165,120 shares in the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the second quarter valued at about $290,868,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Equifax during the second quarter valued at $187,215,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $174,843,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Equifax

Equifax Inc (NYSE: EFX) is a global data, analytics and technology company that provides information and services to help businesses, governments and consumers make informed financial and workforce decisions. The company is best known for its credit reporting activities, but its offerings also include identity verification, fraud prevention, income and employment verification, marketing services and risk management solutions.

Equifax provides consumer and commercial credit information, credit reports and related analytics to lenders and other businesses.