Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Purchased by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 41.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 36,702 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,727 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Equifax were worth $9,354,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 98.7% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the 3rd quarter worth $73,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction 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 $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on EFX shares. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $301.13.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $238.04 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $258.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $272.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $29.51 billion, a PE ratio of 49.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.58. Equifax Inc. has a 12 month low of $213.02 and a 12 month high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

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.