Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Acquired by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 16.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 244,515 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 35,048 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.20% of Equifax worth $62,315,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 98.7% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE EFX traded up $4.16 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $266.34. 749,688 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 964,132. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $33.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $239.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $252.60. Equifax Inc. has a 52-week low of $199.98 and a 52-week high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 yield of 0.75%. 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 40.90%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 142,395 shares of the company's stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on EFX shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Gordon Haskett raised Equifax to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus downgraded Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.