Signaturefd LLC Trims Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Signaturefd LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 5.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,868 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,262 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Equifax were worth $15,001,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in EFX. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 1,740.8% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 2,085,879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $515,817,000 after purchasing an additional 1,972,564 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth $204,218,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 72.0% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,514,093 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $405,051,000 after buying an additional 633,887 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth $154,667,000. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth $126,794,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of EFX stock traded up $3.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $307.13. 786,385 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 817,427. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Equifax Inc. has a one year low of $159.95 and a one year high of $307.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $270.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $255.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.56.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The credit services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.09. Equifax had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 18.88%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 34.74%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP Carla Chaney sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.85, for a total value of $845,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,065,118.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on EFX shares. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on Equifax from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Equifax from $255.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Equifax from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Equifax in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $292.00.

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.