Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Crosses Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average on Insider Selling

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s share price crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $178.06 and traded as low as $174.55. Equifax shares last traded at $175.2590, with a volume of 2,195,524 shares traded.

Specifically, CEO Mark Begor sold 37,792 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.80, for a total transaction of $6,908,377.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 289,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,997,741.60. This represents a 11.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EFX. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Equifax from $238.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Equifax from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $201.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Equifax from $230.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.55.

Equifax Stock Down 1.8%

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $166.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.06.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The credit services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.04 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.50 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st were given a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. Raiffeisen Bank International AG boosted its position in Equifax by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 3,590 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $569,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 3.8% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,730 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Droms Strauss Advisors Inc. MO ADV increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 1.9% during the first quarter. Droms Strauss Advisors Inc. MO ADV now owns 5,435 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $979,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 0.8% during the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 13,647 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,457,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 3.4% during the second quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 4,314 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $685,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

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.