BNP Paribas Financial Markets Cuts Stake in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its stake in Equifax by 6.2%, owning 292,922 shares valued at approximately $71.3 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• Equifax reported $2.00 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations and showcasing a 7.4% revenue growth year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with an ex-dividend date set for September 2nd, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.8%.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lowered its stake in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 6.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 292,922 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 19,376 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.24% of Equifax worth $71,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 49.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $927,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 2,643 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 57.9% in the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 4,366 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 1,933.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 108,992 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $27,777,000 after purchasing an additional 103,631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,598,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 48,264 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.71, for a total value of $11,665,891.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 142,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,533,591.12. This trade represents a 25.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Equifax Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of EFX traded up $2.50 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $239.99. The stock had a trading volume of 288,119 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,042,358. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $29.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.68. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $250.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $249.86. Equifax, Inc. has a 12-month low of $199.98 and a 12-month high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The credit services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 10.95%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. Equifax has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.870-1.970 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.330-7.630 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EFX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $260.00 to $240.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Equifax from $315.00 to $278.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Equifax from $310.00 to $289.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $283.53.

About Equifax

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.