Bank of Nova Scotia Has $3.07 Million Stock Position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Key Points

• The Bank of Nova Scotia reduced its stake in Equifax, Inc. by 17.9%, holding 12,589 shares valued at approximately $3.07 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their holdings in Equifax, with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas raising its position by a remarkable 1,464.7%.
• Equifax's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $2.00, exceeding expectations, and the company recorded a revenue increase of 7.4% compared to the previous year.

Bank of Nova Scotia decreased its position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 17.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,589 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,750 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia's holdings in Equifax were worth $3,066,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 1,920.0% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 505.0% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on EFX. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Equifax from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $305.00 price target (up from $295.00) on shares of Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Equifax from $277.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $285.00.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of EFX stock traded up $1.08 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $241.66. 772,223 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,131,071. The stock's 50-day moving average is $257.04 and its 200-day moving average is $252.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Equifax, Inc. has a 52 week low of $199.98 and a 52 week high of $309.63. The stock has a market cap of $29.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.64.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 10.95%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 48,264 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 142,872 shares in the company, valued at $34,533,591.12. This trade represents a 25.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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.