Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 3,420 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 14.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,318 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,420 shares during the quarter. Equifax accounts for about 1.8% of Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Equifax were worth $6,410,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 1,920.0% during the fourth 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. bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 505.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 98.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total transaction of $518,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 65,176 shares in the company, valued at $16,887,101.60. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.61, for a total value of $5,686,477.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 142,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,539,980.95. The trade was a 13.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE EFX traded up $2.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $268.65. The company had a trading volume of 659,815 shares, compared to its average volume of 978,475. The company has a market capitalization of $33.37 billion, a PE ratio of 55.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.63. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $250.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $253.00. Equifax Inc. has a twelve month low of $199.98 and a twelve month high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.41 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This is a boost from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus downgraded Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Equifax from $288.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Bank of America initiated coverage on Equifax in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price target for the company. Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $260.00 price target (down from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas downgraded Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $294.44.

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.