S Bank Fund Management Ltd Invests $370,000 in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• S Bank Fund Management Ltd purchased 1,519 shares of Equifax, valued at approximately $370,000, marking a new position for the firm in the company.
• Major institutional investors like Lazard Asset Management and JPMorgan Chase significantly increased their holdings in Equifax, reflecting growing institutional interest in the stock.
• Equifax reported earnings of $2.00 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, and its revenue was up 7.4% compared to the previous year, totaling $1.54 billion.

S Bank Fund Management Ltd acquired a new position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,519 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $370,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 1,920.0% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 505.0% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 48,264 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.71, for a total value of $11,665,891.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 142,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,533,591.12. This trade represents a 25.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $310.00 to $289.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $296.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, June 20th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $294.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $285.00.

Equifax Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of EFX stock traded down $1.54 on Monday, hitting $246.18. 855,765 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,057,846. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $254.62 and a 200 day moving average of $250.84. Equifax, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $199.98 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The credit services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.51 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 10.95%. Equifax's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

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.