Pinebridge Investments L.P. Makes New Investment in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Pinebridge Investments L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 19,172 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,886,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EFX. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Equifax in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Gordon Haskett upgraded Equifax to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $260.00 price objective (down from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, April 4th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Equifax currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.00.

Equifax Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE EFX traded up $2.64 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $258.97. The stock had a trading volume of 829,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 963,839. Equifax Inc. has a 52 week low of $199.98 and a 52 week high of $309.63. The company has a market cap of $32.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.62, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The business's 50 day moving average is $236.60 and its 200-day moving average is $253.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.41 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. As a group, analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. This is a positive change from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.90%.

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.