Neuberger Berman Group LLC Trims Stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Neuberger Berman Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 17.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 594,391 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 124,432 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC owned about 0.48% of Equifax worth $151,478,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Equifax by 39.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 184,890 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $54,329,000 after acquiring an additional 5,097 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Equifax by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,585 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $404,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,572,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Equifax by 95.9% during 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 period. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EFX traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $223.87. The stock had a trading volume of 181,561 shares, compared to its average volume of 974,316. Equifax Inc. has a 1 year low of $199.98 and a 1 year high of $309.63. 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 50 day moving average price of $239.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $256.87. The company has a market capitalization of $27.94 billion, a PE ratio of 46.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, February 7th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.31.

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.