Coalescence Partners Investment Management LP lifted its stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 138.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,665 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 27,637 shares during the quarter. Equifax makes up about 6.3% of Coalescence Partners Investment Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Coalescence Partners Investment Management LP's holdings in Equifax were worth $14,007,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brookstone Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 8.5% in the second quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 26,675 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $6,916,000 after buying an additional 2,085 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in Equifax by 14.2% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 126,856 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $33,970,000 after purchasing an additional 15,744 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its position in Equifax by 85.8% in the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 37,902 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $9,904,000 after purchasing an additional 17,501 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Equifax by 183.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 17,015 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,552,000 after purchasing an additional 11,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Equifax in the first quarter worth $746,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.
Insider Activity
In related news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total transaction of $15,770,648.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,183 shares in the company, valued at $29,532,909.67. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at $3,075,535.48. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages recently weighed in on EFX. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Equifax from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Equifax from $250.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Equifax from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $310.47.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on EFX
Equifax Stock Up 0.0 %
Shares of EFX stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $270.99. 610,330 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 858,067. The stock has a market cap of $33.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.59. The stock's fifty day moving average is $285.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.47. Equifax Inc. has a 52-week low of $182.01 and a 52-week high of $309.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88.
Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.29 EPS for the current year.
Equifax Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.67%.
About Equifax
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
Before you consider Equifax, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Equifax wasn't on the list.
While Equifax currently has a "Moderate Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Market downturns give many investors pause, and for good reason. Wondering how to offset this risk? Click the link below to learn more about using beta to protect yourself.
Get This Free Report
