Fred Alger Management LLC Makes New Investment in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Fred Alger Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 80,635 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $20,550,000. Fred Alger Management LLC owned 0.07% of Equifax at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 505.0% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 98.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Equifax in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Equifax in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Equifax Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of EFX traded down $1.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $269.82. 795,234 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 966,292. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $199.98 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $33.51 billion, a PE ratio of 55.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.68. The business has a 50 day moving average of $240.47 and a 200 day moving average of $252.28.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. This is an increase from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is 40.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EFX. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Equifax in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Equifax to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.00.

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.