Natixis Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 99.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 156,952 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 78,220 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.13% of Equifax worth $39,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its stake in Equifax by 98.7% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 78.9% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 254 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EFX traded up $1.16 during trading on Thursday, hitting $243.42. 1,339,291 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 914,264. The company has a market cap of $30.19 billion, a PE ratio of 50.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $253.04 and a 200 day moving average of $266.38. Equifax Inc. has a 52-week low of $213.02 and a 52-week high of $309.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

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Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on EFX shares. Argus downgraded Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Wolfe Research downgraded Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised Equifax to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $298.56.

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.