Equifax (NYSE:EFX) sets new 52-week high following dividend announcement

Equifax Inc. stock price (NYSE:EFX – Get Free Report ) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday following the company’s dividend announcement. The company traded as high as $298.69 and last traded at $297.49 with a volume of 4591 shares. Shares previously closed at $298.39.

The new dividend announced which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a dividend of $1.56 on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.74%.

The Wall Street analyst weighs in

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Equifax from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Equifax from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Bank of America upped their target price on Equifax from $255.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Equifax from $263.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $292.00, according to MarketBeat.

Get our latest report on Equifax

Equifax trading up 1.9%

The firm has a market cap of $37.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.56. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $253.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.79, and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX – Get Your Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The credit services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.09. Equifax had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 18.88%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. In the same quarter last year, the business posted EPS of $1.71. Equifax’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Equifax Inc. to post 7.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider activity at Equifax

In other news, CFO John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 3,650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.24, for a total value of $836,726.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 62,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,263,083.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC’s website. In other news, CFO John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 3,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.24, for a total value of $836,726.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 62,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,263,083.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible via this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carla Chaney sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.85, for a total transaction of $845,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,065,118.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.57% of shares are owned by insiders.

Institutional investors weigh in on Equifax

Major investors have recently made changes to their business positions. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Equifax in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in Equifax by 76.1% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of shares are held by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Company Profile

(Get a free report)

Equifax Inc operates as a data, analytics and technology company. The company operates through three segments: Workforce Solutions, US Information Solutions (USIS) and International. The Workforce Solutions segment provides services that allow customers to verify the income, employment, educational history, criminal justice data, health professional licensure and sanctions of individuals in the United States; and employer clients with services that help them comply with and automate payroll and human resource management processes throughout the entire employment cycle.

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