Valley Forge Capital Management LP Invests $36.70 Million in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Valley Forge Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 144,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $36,698,000. Equifax comprises about 0.8% of Valley Forge Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Valley Forge Capital Management LP owned about 0.12% of Equifax at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EFX. Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of Equifax by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,702 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 817 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Equifax by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 879 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Equifax by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 799 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $204,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total transaction of $518,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 65,176 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,887,101.60. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.61, for a total value of $5,686,477.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 142,395 shares in the company, valued at $36,539,980.95. This represents a 13.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Argus downgraded Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Equifax in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Equifax from $313.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

Equifax Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of EFX opened at $280.53 on Tuesday. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $199.98 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $244.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $252.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.08, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.68.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. This is an increase from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Equifax's payout ratio is 40.90%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.