Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Gets Price Target Reduction from Mizuho

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price target trimmed by Mizuho from $210.00 to $185.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Equifax from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Equifax from $225.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Equifax from $245.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on Equifax from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.00.

Equifax Price Performance

EFX stock opened at $175.46 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $166.87 and a 200-day moving average of $169.88. Equifax has a 12-month low of $137.01 and a 12-month high of $238.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a market cap of $20.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.35, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.35.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The credit services provider reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 22.48% and a net margin of 11.27%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.04 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Equifax will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total transaction of $845,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 69,055 shares in the company, valued at $12,979,577.80. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Begor sold 37,791 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $6,506,098.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,808,582.40. This represents a 12.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EFX. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Equifax in the third quarter valued at $209,000. Canoe Financial LP lifted its position in Equifax by 4,373.5% during the third quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 796,817 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $111,339,000 after buying an additional 779,005 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 11,101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,524,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth about $5,723,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Equifax News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings beat expectations: Equifax reported adjusted EPS of $2.26, above the $2.20 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.693 billion, up approximately 10% year over year and in line with forecasts. Growth was broad-based, with U.S. Information Solutions revenue up 13%, International revenue up 9%, and Workforce Solutions revenue up 7%. Equifax third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Cost controls and capital returns supported the quarter: Lower selling, general and administrative expenses and AI-driven efficiency efforts helped profitability. Equifax also returned $158 million to shareholders through $92 million of stock repurchases and $66 million in dividends. Equifax earnings and lower SG&A expenses
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target: Needham lifted its target for EFX from $190 to $210 and reiterated a “Buy” rating, signaling confidence in the company’s longer-term growth prospects despite near-term mortgage weakness.
• Neutral Sentiment: Underlying markets remain mixed: Equifax said diversified markets revenue grew 8% and state-agency contract signings reached $550 million in annual contract value. Its credit trends data also indicated that U.S. millennials have surpassed Generation X in aggregate debt, a development that may increase demand for credit information while highlighting consumer-credit risks. Equifax global credit trends
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter guidance missed estimates: EFX forecast fourth-quarter EPS of $2.07-$2.17 versus the $2.21 consensus and revenue of about $1.6 billion versus $1.7 billion expected. Full-year EPS guidance of $8.45-$8.55 is near consensus, but revenue guidance of $6.6-$6.7 billion is below the $6.7 billion estimate.
• Negative Sentiment: Mortgage-market weakness is the main headwind: Rising interest rates caused U.S. mortgage transaction volumes to decline meaningfully late in the quarter, prompting Equifax to reduce its outlook. Management also warned that inflation is putting greater pressure on lower-income consumers.

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.