BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Has $1.10 Million Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 209.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,309 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,916 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Equifax were worth $1,098,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,702 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $434,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 817 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Equifax by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 879 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 799 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on EFX. Bank of America started coverage on Equifax in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Equifax from $313.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.00.

Equifax Stock Performance

NYSE:EFX traded down $1.25 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $255.23. The stock had a trading volume of 152,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 962,272. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.93, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $199.98 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. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $236.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.52.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.08. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. This is a boost from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.90%.

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.