Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Bought by Artisan Partners Limited Partnership

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 741,413 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,989 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned approximately 0.60% of Equifax worth $188,949,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management raised 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 during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of EFX opened at $241.76 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $252.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $264.40. The stock has a market cap of $29.98 billion, a PE ratio of 50.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.02 and a 1-year high of $309.63. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. As a group, analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Four investment 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.56.

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.