Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has reduced its stake in Equifax, Inc. by 9.9%, selling 153,688 shares and retaining a total of 1,402,688 shares valued at $341.6 million.
• Equifax's CEO, Mark W. Begor, sold 48,264 shares for approximately $11.67 million, decreasing his ownership by 25.25%.
• Equifax has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.8% and a dividend payout ratio of 39.14%.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 9.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,402,688 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 153,688 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 1.13% of Equifax worth $341,639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equifax Trading Down 1.4%

EFX stock traded down $3.77 on Friday, reaching $256.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 733,369 shares, compared to its average volume of 885,054. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $249.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $250.33. 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 $31.75 billion, a PE ratio of 50.19, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The credit services provider reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion during 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. Equifax has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.870-1.970 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.330-7.630 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on EFX shares. Bank of America cut shares of Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $300.00 to $285.00 in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $310.00 to $289.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $296.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, June 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $283.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 48,264 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.71, for a total transaction of $11,665,891.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 142,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,533,591.12. This trade represents a 25.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Equifax Company 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.