Linscomb Wealth Inc. Acquires 1,165 Shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Key Points

• Linscomb Wealth Inc. increased its stake in Equifax, Inc. by 19.8%, holding now 7,041 shares worth approximately $1.72 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• A significant share increase was noted from other institutional investors, with True Wealth Design LLC boosting its position by 1,920% during the fourth quarter.
• Equifax's earnings report showed an EPS of $2.00, beating consensus estimates, with an overall revenue increase of 7.4% year-over-year.

Linscomb Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 19.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,041 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,165 shares during the period. Linscomb Wealth Inc.'s holdings in Equifax were worth $1,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 1,920.0% in the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its position 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EFX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $280.00 to $260.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of 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 shares of Equifax from $296.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $285.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 48,264 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.71, for a total transaction of $11,665,891.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 142,872 shares in the company, valued at $34,533,591.12. This represents a 25.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Equifax Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:EFX traded down $5.11 during trading on Thursday, reaching $248.19. 1,088,236 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,062,182. The stock has a market cap of $30.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $255.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $251.53. Equifax, Inc. has a 52-week low of $199.98 and a 52-week high of $309.63. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The credit services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.