Bessemer Group Inc. Has $180.73 Million Stock Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 709,155 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,113 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 0.57% of Equifax worth $180,727,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Equifax by 39.0% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,843 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,775,000 after acquiring an additional 3,043 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 184,890 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $54,329,000 after acquiring an additional 5,097 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Equifax by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,585 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth $3,572,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Equifax by 95.9% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,617,574 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $412,239,000 after buying an additional 791,730 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EFX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (down previously from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, April 4th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Equifax in a research note on Thursday. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $313.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. 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, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $292.31.

Equifax Stock Up 1.7 %

EFX stock traded up $3.64 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $223.88. The stock had a trading volume of 251,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 974,920. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $199.98 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The company has a fifty day moving average of $240.09 and a 200 day moving average of $257.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.35, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. On average, equities analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is 32.30%.

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.