Oppenheimer says TransUnion and Equifax positioned for outperformance

Oppenheimer analysts initiated Equifax (NYSE:) and TransUnion (NYSE:) with Buy ratings in separate notes Tuesday. The firm assigned EFX a $273 price target and TRU a $81 per share price target.

Focusing on EFX first, analysts stated that the secular trend of workforce automation is continuing, and the company has “another leading asset in The Work Number (TWN).”

“This digital database has a secular trend enabling automation for human resource functions,” said analysts. “Until recently, the stock had been under pressure due to mortgage exposure. We believe the secular trend of workforce automation will manifest over the next two years.”

Analysts also noted that the slowdown in the organic growth of EFX over the past two years was mainly driven by cyclical factors, but the company’s “two critical assets in Credit Bureau and TWN have maintained their competitive strength,” positioning the company well for outperformance going forward.

Meanwhile, Oppenheimer notes that TRU has “diversified into new products (e.g., identity fraud) and new verticals (e.g., insurance).” In the firm’s view, the stock is still underappreciated by the market.

“Until recently, the stock had been under pressure due to a precipitous decline in mortgage originations and apprehension about credit quality,” explained analysts. “The severity of concern appears to be exaggerated and the market may have extrapolated too much from management’s 3Q earnings commentary and 4Q guidance.”

Oppenheimer believes TRU’s long-term model remains intact, and its analysis indicates the company could beat 4Q consensus forecasts and its own guidance.