Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Sold by National Bank of Canada FI

Key Points

• National Bank of Canada FI decreased its stake in Equifax, Inc. by 16.0%, selling 9,867 shares during the first quarter, leaving them with 51,891 shares valued at approximately $12.6 million.
• Equifax's CEO, Mark W. Begor, sold 48,264 shares at an average price of $241.71, representing a 25.25% decrease in his ownership.
• Analysts have adjusted their price targets for Equifax, with Barclays lowering it from $260.00 to $240.00, while Needham & Company maintains a target of $295.00 with a "buy" rating.

National Bank of Canada FI trimmed its position in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 16.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 51,891 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 9,867 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Equifax were worth $12,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in shares of Equifax by 20.8% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 115,066 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $28,025,000 after purchasing an additional 19,822 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Equifax by 3.5% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,115,084 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $271,590,000 after purchasing an additional 37,555 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new position in Equifax in the first quarter valued at $299,000. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. raised its stake in Equifax by 13.1% in the first quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. now owns 3,793 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Equifax by 2.1% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 370,073 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $90,135,000 after buying an additional 7,479 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 48,264 shares of Equifax 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 $34,533,591.12. The trade was a 25.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EFX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Equifax from $260.00 to $240.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $296.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $285.00.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of EFX stock traded down $5.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $248.19. The stock had a trading volume of 1,088,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,062,184. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $30.73 billion, a PE ratio of 48.57, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.64. Equifax, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $199.98 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $255.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $251.53.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 analysts' expectations of $1.51 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current 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.