Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Bought by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 243.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,664 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,563 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Equifax were worth $2,718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total value of $518,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE EFX opened at $280.53 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $34.84 billion, a PE ratio of 58.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.68. The firm's 50 day moving average is $244.10 and its 200-day moving average is $252.63.

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

Equifax Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on EFX shares. Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (down from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, April 4th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $313.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

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.

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