Artemis Investment Management LLP Buys 44,739 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 153.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,832 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 44,739 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Equifax were worth $18,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax in the second quarter valued at approximately $15,646,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in Equifax by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 184,890 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,329,000 after purchasing an additional 5,097 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Equifax by 16.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 584,820 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $141,789,000 after purchasing an additional 81,966 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Equifax by 3.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,397 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,880,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 84.1% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,016,000 after buying an additional 3,135 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of EFX stock opened at $262.87 on Friday. Equifax Inc. has a 12-month low of $213.02 and a 12-month high of $309.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a 50 day moving average of $258.08 and a 200-day moving average of $273.27. The firm has a market cap of $32.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.42, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.57.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. The firm 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%. The business’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total transaction of $272,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This represents a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock worth $16,187,044 over the last quarter. 1.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EFX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equifax from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $320.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $360.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Equifax from $325.00 to $321.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $311.12.

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.