Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Takes $466,000 Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,830 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $466,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EFX. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in Equifax by 505.0% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 98.7% in the 4th 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 bought a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of EFX stock traded up $1.85 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $280.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 801,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 966,408. The stock has a market cap of $34.84 billion, a PE ratio of 58.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.68. Equifax Inc. has a 12-month low of $199.98 and a 12-month high of $309.63. The company has a 50 day moving average of $243.28 and a 200 day moving average of $252.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.41 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors 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 is a boost from Equifax's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Equifax's payout ratio is currently 40.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on EFX shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Equifax in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Argus downgraded shares of Equifax from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Equifax from $313.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Equifax currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $292.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total transaction of $518,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 65,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,887,101.60. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was 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 owned by company insiders.

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.