HighTower Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its Equifax stake by 22.6% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 46,218 shares worth about $10.0 million.
• Equifax posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.86 beating estimates and revenue of $1.65 billion topping expectations; it also issued Q2 2026 and full-year 2026 guidance above current analyst estimates.
• Insiders and analysts remain active: CEO Mark Begor and EVP Chad Borton sold shares under 10b5-1 plans, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” view with an average target price of $226.67 despite several recent target cuts.

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 22.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,218 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 13,464 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Equifax were worth $10,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $921,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 1,253.8% during the fourth quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 24,978 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,420,000 after purchasing an additional 23,133 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 27,657 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $6,001,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 1,350.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 53,574 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $11,624,000 after purchasing an additional 49,881 shares during the period. Finally, Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 953 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:EFX opened at $164.24 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.56 billion, a PE ratio of 28.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Equifax, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.47 and a 52-week high of $275.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $176.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $197.02.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.17. Equifax had a return on equity of 20.41% and a net margin of 11.12%.The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Equifax's payout ratio is 39.44%.

Insider Activity

In other Equifax news, EVP Chad M. Borton sold 2,455 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total value of $426,899.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 29,518 shares in the company, valued at $5,132,885.02. The trade was a 7.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.40, for a total value of $6,515,168.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 271,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,846,252. The trade was a 12.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EFX. UBS Group decreased their price target on Equifax from $245.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays decreased their price target on Equifax from $240.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Equifax from $256.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Equifax from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Equifax from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $226.67.

Equifax Company Profile

Equifax Inc NYSE: EFX is a global data, analytics and technology company that specializes in consumer and commercial credit reporting, decisioning tools and identity solutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax is one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States and provides credit information and related services to lenders, employers, governments and consumers worldwide.

The company's offerings include consumer credit reports and scores, credit monitoring and identity protection services, and a range of business-oriented products for risk management, fraud detection and compliance.

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