Weitz Investment Management Inc. Invests $30.47 Million in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Key Points

• Weitz Investment Management initiated a $30.47 million position in Equifax during the second quarter, purchasing 191,980 shares. The stake represents about 2.1% of Weitz’s portfolio and 0.16% of Equifax’s outstanding shares.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with 14 Buy ratings and six Holds producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $216.89.
• Equifax reported quarterly EPS of $2.25, exceeding estimates by $0.05, while revenue rose 10.6% year over year to $1.70 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share, representing a 1.2% yield.

Weitz Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 191,980 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $30,471,000. Equifax comprises about 2.1% of Weitz Investment Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Weitz Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of Equifax as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in Equifax by 52.6% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 650,391 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $141,199,000 after buying an additional 224,073 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 49.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 1,253.8% in the 4th quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 24,978 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,420,000 after purchasing an additional 23,133 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,098,000. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 39.9% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 34,056 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $7,389,000 after purchasing an additional 9,710 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EFX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised Equifax from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $214.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Equifax from $220.00 to $212.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $195.00 to $179.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 13th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $216.89.

Equifax Stock Performance

Equifax stock opened at $192.98 on Friday. Equifax, Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.74 and a twelve month high of $271.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $22.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.92, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.30. The stock's 50 day moving average is $172.16 and its 200 day moving average is $178.12.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.05. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $6,506,098.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,808,582.40. The trade was a 12.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Equifax Company 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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