Park Avenue Securities LLC Makes New Investment in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• Park Avenue Securities LLC has invested approximately $1,059,000 in Equifax, Inc., acquiring 4,082 shares in the second quarter of 2023.
• Equifax reported a 7.4% year-over-year revenue increase and earnings per share of $2.00 for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations.
• Analyst ratings for Equifax include one "Strong Buy," twelve "Buy," and six "Hold," with a current consensus target price of $284.80.

Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,082 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,059,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on EFX shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Equifax from $277.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays cut their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Equifax from $280.00 to $260.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. UBS Group raised their target price on Equifax from $287.00 to $297.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Equifax from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $284.80.

Equifax Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of EFX stock opened at $254.58 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $199.98 and a 1 year high of $295.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $248.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $251.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.52 billion, a PE ratio of 49.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.68.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The credit services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 10.95%.The company'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 earnings per share. 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, research analysts expect that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is 39.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 48,264 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 142,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,533,591.12. The trade was 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 this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Equifax Company 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.

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