Malaga Cove Capital LLC Buys 1,210 Shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Key Points

• Malaga Cove Capital LLC significantly increased its stake in Equifax, Inc. by 139.7%, acquiring an additional 1,210 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 2,076 shares valued at approximately $506,000.
• Equifax's stock has received multiple buy ratings from analysts, with target prices ranging from $260.00 to $305.00, indicating positive sentiment for the company's future performance.
• In a recent earnings report, Equifax reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS), exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.92, while also showing a year-over-year revenue growth of 7.4%.

Malaga Cove Capital LLC lifted its position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 139.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,076 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,210 shares during the period. Malaga Cove Capital LLC's holdings in Equifax were worth $506,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 7,883,233.3% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 946,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $241,087,000 after purchasing an additional 945,988 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 24,315.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696,094 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $169,541,000 after purchasing an additional 693,243 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Equifax by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,027,817 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,281,340,000 after purchasing an additional 679,688 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Equifax by 115.2% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 312,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $79,589,000 after purchasing an additional 167,155 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $37,003,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

Equifax stock traded up $3.41 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $243.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 913,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,173,427. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $258.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $252.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $30.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.63, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.64. Equifax, Inc. has a 12-month low of $199.98 and a 12-month high of $309.63.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EFX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $310.00 to $289.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $305.00 price objective (up from $295.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $294.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $315.00 to $278.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $285.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total value of $518,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 65,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,887,101.60. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 48,264 shares of the 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 directly owned 142,872 shares in the company, valued at $34,533,591.12. The trade was a 25.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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.