Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Decreases Holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lessened its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,224 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,615 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Equifax were worth $2,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 98.7% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of Equifax stock traded down $0.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $256.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,118,422 shares, compared to its average volume of 965,085. The firm has a market cap of $32.03 billion, a PE ratio of 53.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $236.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $253.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Equifax Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $199.98 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63.

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

Equifax Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This is a boost from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Equifax's payout ratio is presently 32.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on EFX shares. Gordon Haskett raised Equifax to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $313.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Argus lowered shares of Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Equifax in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

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.