Virtu Financial LLC Buys New Shares in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 9,520 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,797,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in shares of Equifax by 23.4% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 44,626 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $13,114,000 after buying an additional 8,467 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Equifax by 64.0% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,865 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 728 shares during the period. Ashford Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Equifax in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,790,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,885,661 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $845,041,000 after purchasing an additional 29,742 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 7.9% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 17,420 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX traded up $3.31 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $266.05. 351,962 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 873,200. Equifax Inc. has a 12 month low of $213.02 and a 12 month high of $309.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $268.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.63. The firm has a market cap of $32.98 billion, a PE ratio of 58.39, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.57.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. Equifax's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Equifax from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated a "buy" rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, October 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $311.67.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total transaction of $272,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,269 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,075,535.48. This trade represents a 8.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 59,855 shares of company stock worth $16,187,044 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

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.