Bessemer Group Inc. Decreases Stake in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. cut its Equifax stake by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 131,134 shares and ending with 586,877 shares valued at about $127.3 million.
• Equifax posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.86 and revenue of $1.65 billion, both above analyst forecasts. Revenue rose 14.3% year over year.
• The company reiterated a positive outlook for 2026, including Q2 EPS guidance of $2.15-$2.25 and full-year EPS guidance of $8.34-$8.74, while also declaring a $0.56 quarterly dividend.

Bessemer Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 586,877 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 131,134 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.48% of Equifax worth $127,340,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Equifax by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 148 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Equifax in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

Equifax stock opened at $158.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $18.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $180.51 and a 200-day moving average of $199.33. Equifax, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.47 and a 52 week high of $281.03.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.61 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 20.41% and a net margin of 11.12%.The business's revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.53 EPS. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is 39.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded Equifax to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Equifax in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $195.00 price target on Equifax in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Equifax from $253.00 to $235.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Equifax from $245.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $228.06.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Chad M. Borton sold 2,455 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total transaction of $426,899.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 29,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,132,885.02. This represents a 7.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.72, for a total value of $880,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 58,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,532,018.12. This trade represents a 7.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 44,746 shares of company stock worth $7,822,808. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Equifax Company Profile

Equifax Inc NYSE: EFX is a global data, analytics and technology company that specializes in consumer and commercial credit reporting, decisioning tools and identity solutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax is one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States and provides credit information and related services to lenders, employers, governments and consumers worldwide.

The company's offerings include consumer credit reports and scores, credit monitoring and identity protection services, and a range of business-oriented products for risk management, fraud detection and compliance.

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