Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Sells 1,223 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,309 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,223 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's holdings in Equifax were worth $6,450,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 69,418 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $17,691,000 after acquiring an additional 3,579 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 10,338 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 1,173 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth approximately $296,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 77.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 771 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Olstein Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 13,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,313,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Equifax from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $310.88.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company's stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX traded up $7.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $278.35. 112,355 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 834,167. The company has a 50-day moving average of $260.31 and a 200-day moving average of $274.73. Equifax Inc. has a 52-week low of $213.02 and a 52-week high of $309.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.57. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.