14,017 Shares in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Acquired by Strategic Financial Concepts LLC

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 14,017 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,572,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Equifax by 98.7% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the third quarter valued at about $73,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $248.59 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $261.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $274.92. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.02 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The firm has a market cap of $30.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. Equities research analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.45 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 32.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Needham & Company LLC lowered 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $301.69.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.57% 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.