Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Gordon Haskett

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) was upgraded by Gordon Haskett to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also commented on EFX. Barclays decreased their target price on Equifax from $335.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Argus downgraded shares of Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $301.13.

Equifax Trading Down 1.4 %

EFX opened at $243.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.14 billion, a PE ratio of 50.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Equifax has a 12-month low of $213.02 and a 12-month high of $309.63. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $259.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.44.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. As a group, research analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Equifax in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Equifax by 1,920.0% in the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 505.0% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.