MQS Management LLC Invests $460,000 in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,565 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $460,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the third quarter worth about $29,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 76.1% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC grew its position in Equifax by 138.2% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total transaction of $15,770,648.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Equifax news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total transaction of $15,770,648.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on EFX. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Equifax from $255.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Citigroup increased their target price on Equifax from $263.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Equifax from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a 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 target price of $310.47.

Equifax Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $265.97 on Thursday. Equifax Inc. has a 1 year low of $189.95 and a 1 year high of $309.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $284.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $266.77. The company has a market capitalization of $32.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.59.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.67%.

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.