Van ECK Associates Corp Lowers Holdings in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates cut its Equifax stake by 97.8% in the second quarter, selling 1.57 million shares and retaining 35,096 shares valued at $5.57 million. Institutional investors still own 96.2% of EFX.
• Equifax exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with $2.25 in EPS versus $2.20 forecast, while revenue rose 10.6% year over year to $1.70 billion. The company guided for fiscal 2026 EPS of $8.39 to $8.69.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.56, equivalent to a 1.2% yield, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $215.16 versus the reported share price of $185.58.

Van ECK Associates Corp trimmed its holdings in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) by 97.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,096 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,565,290 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Equifax were worth $5,570,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 49.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $927,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the first quarter valued at $204,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Equifax by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 14.5% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,632 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,979,000 after buying an additional 966 shares during the period. Finally, AXA S.A. increased its stake in Equifax by 699.9% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 8,671 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,249,000 after purchasing an additional 7,587 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Trading Down 0.3%

EFX stock opened at $185.58 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Equifax, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.74 and a 52-week high of $271.84. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $177.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.92. The firm has a market cap of $21.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.62, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.31.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The business's revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. Equifax's payout ratio is presently 39.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on EFX shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $245.00 to $232.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $220.00 to $212.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Equifax from $243.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $215.16.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total transaction of $6,506,098.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,808,582.40. The trade was a 12.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

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.

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