Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Sells 20,800 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. reduced its position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 17.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 95,800 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 20,800 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.08% of Equifax worth $24,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Greenleaf Trust grew its position in Equifax by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,702 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $434,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Equifax by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in Equifax by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 817 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Equifax by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 879 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Equifax by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 799 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $204,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of Equifax stock traded up $2.64 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $258.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 848,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 963,868. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $236.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $253.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market cap of $32.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. Equifax Inc. has a one year low of $199.98 and a one year high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. On average, analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. This is an increase from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $260.00 price target (down from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, April 4th. Argus downgraded Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Equifax in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.00.

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.