Danske Bank A S Makes New Investment in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• Danske Bank acquired 44,342 Equifax shares worth approximately $7.0 million in the second quarter, while several other funds also initiated positions. Institutional investors collectively own 96.2% of the stock.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on Equifax, with 14 Buy and six Hold ratings and an average price target of $216.89, despite several recent target-price cuts.
• Equifax reported quarterly EPS of $2.25, topping estimates, while revenue rose 10.6% year over year to $1.70 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share, representing a 1.2% annualized yield.

Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 44,342 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,038,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the second quarter valued at $1,197,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the second quarter worth about $5,174,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the second quarter worth $435,000. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc bought a new stake in Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,312,000. Finally, UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp bought a new stake in Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $833,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EFX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Equifax from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $182.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Equifax from $222.00 to $194.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $216.89.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $192.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.67 billion, a PE ratio of 33.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.30. Equifax, Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.74 and a 12-month high of $271.84. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $172.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.05. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.00 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Equifax's payout ratio is currently 39.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total transaction of $6,506,098.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,808,582.40. The trade was a 12.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is 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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