Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Rating Upgraded by Royal Bank of Canada

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) was upgraded by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $300.00 target price on the credit services provider’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 22.92% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Equifax from $335.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.56.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of EFX opened at $244.06 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.75. Equifax has a one year low of $213.02 and a one year high of $309.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $252.95 and its 200-day moving average is $265.78.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. Equities analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Equifax by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,583 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,226,000 after acquiring an additional 2,948 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH boosted its position in Equifax by 3,372.2% during the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 46,527 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,857,000 after acquiring an additional 45,187 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $27,964,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its position in Equifax by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,595 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $406,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Company Profile

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.