Ieq Capital LLC Reduces Stock Position in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC reduced its stake in Equifax, Inc. by 44.1% during the 1st quarter, owning 6,537 shares valued at approximately $1.59 million after selling over 5,100 shares.
• Equifax's stock has received a mix of ratings from analysts, with an average target price of $283.53 and multiple buy recommendations from firms like Stifel Nicolaus and Morgan Stanley.
• Equifax announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share slated for September 15th, representing a 0.8% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 39.14%.

Ieq Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 44.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,537 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 5,161 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in Equifax were worth $1,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 505.0% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the first quarter worth about $34,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on EFX shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Equifax from $277.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $305.00 target price (up previously from $295.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Equifax from $260.00 to $240.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on Equifax from $294.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Equifax from $296.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 48,264 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.71, for a total value of $11,665,891.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 142,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,533,591.12. This represents a 25.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Equifax Stock Up 1.5%

Equifax stock traded up $3.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $237.50. The stock had a trading volume of 745,635 shares, compared to its average volume of 912,015. 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 $29.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.48, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $250.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $249.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The credit services provider reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.08. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 10.95%.The business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities analysts expect that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Equifax's payout ratio is presently 39.14%.

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.