Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 823,116 Shares of Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates more than doubled its Equifax stake in the fourth quarter, buying 823,116 shares and bringing its total holding to 1.6 million shares worth about $347.9 million.
• Equifax reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.86 on revenue of $1.65 billion, and it issued Q2 2026 and FY 2026 guidance that was also highlighted in the report.
• The company continues to attract institutional interest and analyst support, with 96.2% of shares held by institutions and Wall Street maintaining a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $226.67.

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 105.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,603,415 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 823,116 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 1.31% of Equifax worth $347,909,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at $275,635,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Equifax by 35.8% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,344,531 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $942,676,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145,921 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Equifax by 91.0% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,464,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $317,688,000 after acquiring an additional 697,403 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Equifax by 2.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,282,951 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,920,535,000 after acquiring an additional 316,048 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 956.5% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 328,592 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $84,248,000 after acquiring an additional 297,489 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted EFX as a strong momentum stock, suggesting the shares still screen well on style and trend factors that can support investor interest. Here's Why Equifax (EFX) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Equifax Canada announced Credit Lock for Ontario consumers, a product tied to identity-theft prevention that could help reinforce its consumer credit-protection franchise. Equifax® Canada introduces Credit Lock to empower Ontarians and help fight identity theft and fraud
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also noted sustained revenue growth, product innovation, and a diversified client base, which supports the longer-term fundamental case for EFX. Sustained Revenue Growth Aids Equifax Amid Low Liquidity

Equifax Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $163.56 on Friday. Equifax, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.91 and a 12-month high of $275.91. The stock has a market cap of $19.48 billion, a PE ratio of 28.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a 50-day moving average of $173.15 and a 200 day moving average of $193.17.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.17. Equifax had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 20.41%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. Equifax's revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.44%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Chad M. Borton sold 2,455 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total transaction of $426,899.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 29,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,132,885.02. This represents a 7.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.40, for a total transaction of $6,515,168.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,846,252. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on EFX. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $210.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $256.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Equifax to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $226.67.

Equifax Profile

Equifax Inc NYSE: EFX is a global data, analytics and technology company that specializes in consumer and commercial credit reporting, decisioning tools and identity solutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax is one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States and provides credit information and related services to lenders, employers, governments and consumers worldwide.

The company's offerings include consumer credit reports and scores, credit monitoring and identity protection services, and a range of business-oriented products for risk management, fraud detection and compliance.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.