Equifax, Inc. $EFX Stock Acquired by International Assets Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its Equifax stake by 1,169.8% in the third quarter, owning 20,000 shares valued at approximately $2.75 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.2% of Equifax.
• Equifax insiders sold 46,292 shares worth about $8.46 million over the past 90 days, including CEO Mark Begor’s sale of 37,792 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Equifax reported quarterly EPS of $2.26, exceeding estimates by $0.06, while revenue rose 9.6% year over year to $1.69 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $200.55, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share.

International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 1,169.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 18,425 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings in Equifax were worth $2,745,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS bought a new position in Equifax in the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,792 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.80, for a total value of $6,908,377.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 289,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,997,741.60. This trade represents a 11.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John Gamble sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total transaction of $845,820.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 69,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,979,577.80. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 46,292 shares of company stock valued at $8,464,918 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Equifax Stock Up 4.3%

EFX stock opened at $192.61 on Tuesday. Equifax, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $137.01 and a fifty-two week high of $228.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.12, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.35. The business's fifty day moving average price is $166.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 20th. The credit services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 11.27% and a return on equity of 22.48%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.04 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.50 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st were given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EFX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Equifax from $245.00 to $232.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Equifax from $200.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised Equifax from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $214.00 to $235.00 in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Argus upgraded Equifax from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $200.55.

Equifax Profile

Equifax Inc NYSE: EFX is a global data, analytics and technology company that provides information and services to help businesses, governments and consumers make informed financial and workforce decisions. The company is best known for its credit reporting activities, but its offerings also include identity verification, fraud prevention, income and employment verification, marketing services and risk management solutions.

Equifax provides consumer and commercial credit information, credit reports and related analytics to lenders and other businesses.

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