Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 46,577 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 629,568 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 46,577 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.51% of Equifax worth $160,451,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its position in Equifax by 98.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.61, for a total value of $5,686,477.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 142,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,539,980.95. This represents a 13.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Equifax Trading Up 0.6 %

EFX traded up $1.51 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $260.17. 958,079 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 965,986. The stock's 50-day moving average is $237.41 and its 200 day moving average is $253.40. Equifax Inc. has a 12 month low of $199.98 and a 12 month high of $309.63. 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 has a market capitalization of $32.31 billion, a PE ratio of 53.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.41 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This is an increase from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Equifax's payout ratio is presently 40.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on EFX shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Equifax to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.00.

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.