Edgestream Partners L.P. Raises Stake in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• Edgestream Partners more than doubled its Equifax stake by 130.4% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 12,445 shares valued at approximately $2.24 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.2% of Equifax’s outstanding stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $215.79, although several firms recently lowered their targets. Equifax shares recently traded near $173, well below their 52-week high of $271.84.
• Equifax beat quarterly earnings expectations with adjusted EPS of $2.25 and revenue of $1.70 billion, up 10.6% year over year. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share, while its CEO and an executive vice president sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 130.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,445 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,044 shares during the quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P.'s holdings in Equifax were worth $2,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Equifax by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter worth approximately $204,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 14.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Equifax by 14.5% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,632 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,979,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. grew its holdings in Equifax by 699.9% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 8,671 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,249,000 after purchasing an additional 7,587 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on EFX. Barclays lowered their target price on Equifax from $215.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on Equifax from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $182.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $265.00 to $245.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total transaction of $6,506,098.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,808,582.40. This represents a 12.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 29,518 shares in the company, valued at $5,132,885.02. This represents a 7.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $173.04 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. Equifax, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $150.74 and a fifty-two week high of $271.84. The stock has a market cap of $20.33 billion, a PE ratio of 30.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $167.68 and a 200-day moving average of $181.05.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The firm's revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.00 EPS. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.37%.

About Equifax

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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