JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trims Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Target Price to $273.00

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price objective reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $290.00 to $273.00 in a research note released on Friday, Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Equifax from $275.00 to $260.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Equifax from $273.00 to $291.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. TheStreet upgraded Equifax from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Friday, December 29th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Equifax from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Equifax from $195.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, December 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $266.35.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $216.20 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $257.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.51. Equifax has a 12 month low of $159.95 and a 12 month high of $275.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The credit services provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.08% and a net margin of 10.42%. Equifax’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.34 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Equifax during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Equifax during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Equifax by 70.8% during the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 193 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co grew its position in Equifax by 55.5% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 199 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 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.