Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Holdings Decreased by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lessened its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,622 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,223 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Equifax were worth $13,113,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of EFX. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 42.5% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,079 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Equifax by 23.0% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,365 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,241,000 after buying an additional 2,499 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the second quarter worth $47,000. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,152 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 271.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 156 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of EFX traded up $2.55 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $265.29. The stock had a trading volume of 691,576 shares, compared to its average volume of 874,674. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market cap of $32.88 billion, a PE ratio of 58.95, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.57. Equifax Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $213.02 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $268.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $269.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. The firm's revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wolfe Research cut Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Equifax from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $360.00 price target for the company. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Monday, October 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $311.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equifax news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was 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 approximately $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total transaction of $272,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,075,535.48. This represents a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $16,187,044 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.57% of the company's stock.

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.