Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd. Boosts Holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd. grew its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,355 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Equifax comprises approximately 3.3% of Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd.’s holdings in Equifax were worth $11,553,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brookstone Capital Management raised its holdings in Equifax by 8.5% in the second quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 26,675 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,916,000 after acquiring an additional 2,085 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 14.2% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 126,856 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,970,000 after purchasing an additional 15,744 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its position in shares of Equifax by 85.8% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 37,902 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,904,000 after purchasing an additional 17,501 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of Equifax by 183.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 17,015 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,552,000 after purchasing an additional 11,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Equifax by 23.0% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,365 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,241,000 after buying an additional 2,499 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EFX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Equifax from $255.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Equifax from $250.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Equifax from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $310.47.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In other news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at $3,075,535.48. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value 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 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total value of $15,770,648.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,532,909.67. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Down 0.7 %

Equifax stock opened at $265.97 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $284.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $266.77. The company has a market cap of $32.97 billion, a PE ratio of 59.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $189.95 and a 1-year high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

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

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.