Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Holdings Boosted by Generate Investment Management Ltd

Generate Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 122.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,282 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 47,564 shares during the period. Equifax makes up approximately 1.5% of Generate Investment Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Generate Investment Management Ltd owned about 0.07% of Equifax worth $21,989,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of EFX. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the third quarter worth $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its stake in Equifax by 98.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 3rd quarter valued at $73,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $301.69.

Equifax Stock Performance

NYSE:EFX traded down $0.96 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $251.94. 399,767 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,020,352. Equifax Inc. has a 52 week low of $213.02 and a 52 week high of $309.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $261.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $274.82.

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 net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Equifax Company Profile

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.