Morgan Stanley Cuts Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Price Target to $280.00

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price target reduced by Morgan Stanley from $290.00 to $280.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on EFX. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Equifax to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Equifax from $300.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Equifax from $295.00 to $253.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Equifax from $245.00 to $234.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Equifax presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $274.73.

Equifax Stock Down 0.1%

EFX stock opened at $219.10 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $26.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.74. The business’s 50-day moving average is $215.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.75. Equifax has a fifty-two week low of $199.98 and a fifty-two week high of $281.07.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.10. Equifax had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 19.28%. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equifax has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.980-2.080 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.550-7.650 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Equifax will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 4,925 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.94, for a total transaction of $1,176,779.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 39,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,405,634.16. This represents a 11.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 21,386 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.12, for a total value of $4,942,732.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,095,040.40. The trade was a 49.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 54,270 shares of company stock valued at $12,580,837. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of EFX. Country Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in Equifax in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Equifax by 82.9% during the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 128 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Company Profile

Equifax Inc (NYSE: EFX) is a global data, analytics and technology company that specializes in consumer and commercial credit reporting, decisioning tools and identity solutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax is one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States and provides credit information and related services to lenders, employers, governments and consumers worldwide.

The company’s offerings include consumer credit reports and scores, credit monitoring and identity protection services, and a range of business-oriented products for risk management, fraud detection and compliance.