Quadrature Capital Ltd Invests $10.52 Million in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 35,819 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $10,518,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Equifax by 76.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Equifax by 138.2% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, First Community Trust NA bought a new position in Equifax in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total transaction of $15,770,648.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,183 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. The trade was a 34.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,269 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. The trade was a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 59,855 shares of company stock worth $16,187,044. 1.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EFX traded down $3.38 during trading on Thursday, hitting $260.20. The stock had a trading volume of 306,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 870,650. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Equifax Inc. has a 12-month low of $213.02 and a 12-month high of $309.63. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $271.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $268.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.57.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 business posted $1.76 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EFX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on Equifax from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Equifax from $250.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $306.74.

Equifax 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.