Swedbank AB Boosts Holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Swedbank AB raised its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,473 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,140 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Equifax were worth $16,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of EFX. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 76.1% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 138.2% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In other news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were 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 directly owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This represents a 8.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total transaction of $15,770,648.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,183 shares in the company, valued at $29,532,909.67. This trade represents a 34.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Equifax Price Performance

Equifax stock opened at $258.94 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $276.79 and a 200-day moving average of $268.36. Equifax Inc. has a 52-week low of $208.67 and a 52-week high of $309.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.54, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.59.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on EFX shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, October 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Equifax from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. BNP Paribas raised Equifax from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $360.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $306.74.

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.