29,444 Shares of Equifax, Inc. $EFX Bought by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mirae Asset Global Investments bought 29,444 Equifax shares in the third quarter, worth approximately $4.04 million; institutional investors collectively hold 96.2% of the stock.
• Equifax reported quarterly earnings of $2.26 per share, beating analyst estimates of $2.20, while revenue rose 9.6% year over year to $1.69 billion.
• Company insiders sold 46,292 shares worth about $8.46 million over the past 90 days. Equifax also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 29,444 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,041,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Ballast Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Equifax during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Equifax in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP John Gamble sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total value of $845,820.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 69,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,979,577.80. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,792 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.80, for a total value of $6,908,377.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 289,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,997,741.60. The trade was a 11.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,292 shares of company stock valued at $8,464,918. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE EFX traded down $4.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $189.81. The company had a trading volume of 1,246,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,030,650. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $166.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.79. The company has a market capitalization of $22.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Equifax, Inc. has a twelve month low of $137.01 and a twelve month high of $228.67.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The credit services provider reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.69 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 22.48% and a net margin of 11.27%. Equifax's revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.04 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.50 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 25th will be paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 25th. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Equifax from $238.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Oppenheimer cut Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Equifax from $212.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on Equifax from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Equifax from $230.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Equifax has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $200.55.

Equifax Profile

Equifax Inc NYSE: EFX is a global data, analytics and technology company that provides information and services to help businesses, governments and consumers make informed financial and workforce decisions. The company is best known for its credit reporting activities, but its offerings also include identity verification, fraud prevention, income and employment verification, marketing services and risk management solutions.

Equifax provides consumer and commercial credit information, credit reports and related analytics to lenders and other businesses.

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