Norden Group LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Norden Group LLC grew its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC’s holdings in Equifax were worth $227,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in Equifax by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,702 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $434,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Equifax by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 799 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in Equifax by 3.7% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Down 0.6 %

EFX stock opened at $242.94 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $255.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $270.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $30.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.58. Equifax Inc. has a 52 week low of $213.02 and a 52 week high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. On average, analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.64%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research cut shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Argus downgraded Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $301.13.

About Equifax

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.