Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,389,505 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 135,009 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.61% of Equifax worth $3,667,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its position in Equifax by 98.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

EFX stock traded down $1.88 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $243.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,411,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 920,916. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.02 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $252.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $264.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $30.20 billion, a PE ratio of 50.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65.

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Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. Equifax's payout ratio is 32.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group cut their target price on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $298.56.

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.