Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Holdings Boosted by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 14.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,927 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,257 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Equifax were worth $4,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 505.0% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:EFX opened at $280.53 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $244.10 and its 200-day moving average is $252.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Equifax Inc. has a 12 month low of $199.98 and a 12 month high of $309.63. The firm has a market cap of $34.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.68.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Equifax's payout ratio is currently 40.90%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on EFX shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Argus downgraded Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

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.

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