Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Bought by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 153.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,832 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 44,739 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned approximately 0.06% of Equifax worth $18,816,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $85,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. This represents a 34.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,269 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This trade represents a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 59,855 shares of company stock worth $16,187,044 in the last three months. 1.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on EFX shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Equifax from $325.00 to $321.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Equifax from $315.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research lowered Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Equifax from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $311.12.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of Equifax stock traded down $1.37 on Monday, hitting $262.87. 712,062 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 776,733. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $258.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.57. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.02 and a 1-year high of $309.63.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.67%.

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.