JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Price

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price objective lowered by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $304.00 to $283.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 14.49% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on EFX. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $315.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas raised shares of Equifax from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays upped their price target on Equifax from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $306.74.

Equifax Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $247.18 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $279.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $267.68. The company has a market capitalization of $30.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. Equifax has a 52-week low of $208.25 and a 52-week high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. Equifax’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Equifax will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equifax news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This represents a 8.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total value of $15,770,648.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. This trade represents a 34.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the third quarter valued at $29,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 76.1% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 138.2% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by 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.