Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Acquires Shares of 14,017 Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 14,017 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,572,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Greenleaf Trust increased its stake in Equifax by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,702 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $434,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its position in Equifax by 13.5% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 371 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 3.7% during the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Equifax by 1.9% during the third quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,936 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Trading Up 0.4 %

EFX opened at $248.59 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $261.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.92. The company has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.47, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. Equifax Inc. has a 52 week low of $213.02 and a 52 week high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. Analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on EFX. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday. UBS Group lowered their price target on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $301.69.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.