Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Price

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its target price reduced by Morgan Stanley from $320.00 to $316.00 in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on EFX. BNP Paribas raised shares of Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Equifax from $315.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research downgraded Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Equifax from $325.00 to $321.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $310.88.

Equifax Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of EFX stock opened at $273.84 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Equifax has a 12-month low of $213.02 and a 12-month high of $309.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.57. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $259.83 and its 200 day moving average is $274.76.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. The trade was a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Equifax by 66.3% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 4,622 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Equifax by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 74,225 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $17,997,000 after buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Scientech Research LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at about $201,000. Creative Planning grew its stake in Equifax by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 34,929 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,469,000 after acquiring an additional 1,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the second quarter worth approximately $218,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.